Sermon: Isaiah 11: 1-10 The Branch of Jesse

The closing months of this year have marked a couple of major centenaries. November was, of course, the centenary of the ending of World War One. December has its own special centenary. It’s one hundred years since the very first Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in Kings College, Cambridge. And over the past hundred years, that service has been adopted and adapted all around the world - and we’ll use it this evening at our Carols by Candlelight service.

The idea is simple. In nine Bible readings, we are taken through the story of God’s rescue plan - from Genesis 3, through some of the prophecies, to the events of the first Christmas, ending with the reading of the Christmas Gospel from John chapter 1: ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory...’

In the run-up to Christmas, we’ve been looking at some of the nine lessons. And, while we won’t use this one tonight (we’re using the alternative reading from Micah 5), it’s part of the traditional Nine Lessons set. It’s a prophecy all about the baby in the manger, who is the king of the universe. And in vivid images, we get a glimpse of who Jesus is, and what his kingdom will be like.

So let’s dive in to verses 1-3, where we find the King’s qualifications. The first qualification of being king is coming from the right family line. So, while I wouldn’t mind being king of the United Kingdom, I’m not qualified, because I don’t come from the Windsor family line. The people who are qualified are Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince George.

And here in the reading, the qualifying family line is that of King David. A couple of weeks ago we heard the promise to David that one of his sons would reign forever. So to be the Messiah, you need to come from David’s line. But do you see how it’s described in verse 1?

‘A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.’

If you’ve been out for a walk in Gosford or Clare Glen or Loughgall Country Park, you might have seen something like this. A tree has been cut down. There’s just a stump. It looks done for. Dead wood. But if you look closely, over time, there’s one little shoot coming up. It’s nowhere near as big as the stump, but it’s coming up, there’s life, there’s hope, there’s a new start.

And that’s the picture here, that Isaiah gives. When Isaiah was prophesying, the kingdom of Judah (David’s sons) still reigned, but they were effectively dead wood. A long way short of what David had been; a long way short of what God had promised. And shortly after Isaiah, the kingdom would go into exile. The tree would be felled. Only the stump remaining.

It would look tiny, ineffectual compared to the other nations round about. But if you look back to the end of chapter 10, God says through Isaiah that the lofty trees (the nations) will be felled - and instead this shoot will come from the stump of Jesse - Jesse the father of David, the root of the whole family line. And more, the shoot will grow, will become ‘a Branch’ that ‘will bear fruit.’

The King comes from the right family line. That’s important (which is why Matthew starts his gospel with the family tree of Jesus). But it’s not the only qualification. The other is to be Spirit-empowered:

‘The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD - and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.’ (2-3)

The ideal king will be empowered by the Holy Spirit. And in those verses, we see what the Spirit is like, and what the Spirit will give to the king. He is the Spirit of the LORD, the promise-making, promise-keeping God. He is the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, counsel and power, knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. The Spirit will enable the king to rule wisely, powerfully, as he walks in the fear of the LORD.

That fear of the LORD isn’t a phobia type of fear - you know, like arachnophobia is being afraid of spiders, or pognophobia is being afraid of beards. No, the fear of the LORD is an awe-filled, respect and honour for the LORD. And it’s this qualification that marks out the true king. Before King David, there was King Saul, but God rejected him for disobedience. Instead, God told Samuel the prophet that he was going to appoint ‘a man after my own heart.’ David was that man, but here we see the perfect king, Spirit-empowered, and truly delighting in the fear of the LORD.

Now those qualifications combined mean that, as much as we may think it, we are not the Messiah. We are not the world’s Saviour! That position is already filled, by the one who was descended from Jesse, the shoot and Branch, who was anointed with the Holy Spirit at his Baptism, as the dove descended on him. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the king. He is uniquely qualified.

Next, we see the characteristics of his reign - justice and righteousness. First up, he judges justly:

‘He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.’

So if he doesn’t judge by what he sees and hears, then how will he judge? Isaiah is pointing to the fact that this king doesn’t only see and hear the outside - our words and deeds. This king knows and judges based on our internal motives - our intentions and ambitions and motives for doing or saying something.

Sometimes we do good things for the wrong reasons - because we want to be thought well of by others; or to look good; or to shame others. While others only see our actions or hear our words, and might indeed think well of us, Jesus the King sees our heart and knows our motives. It’s that he is judging. And so his judgement is effective, and fair, and truly impartial. He will ensure justice for all, especially for the needy, and the poor of the earth.

But more than that, righteousness will be characteristic of his reign. So everything that is right, and in right relationship with God will flourish and prosper, but whatever stands opposed to God will be destroyed. No longer will sin spoil God’s creation:

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash round his waist.’ (3-5)

It’s not that he has halitosis, a case of bad breath so deadly that he will slay the wicked with it. Rather, it’s the breath of his lips, the rod of his mouth, his word that will slay the wicked (as picked up by 2 Thess).

We’ve seen the qualifications of the King (the shoot of Jesse, Spirit-empowered), and the characteristics of his reign (justice and righteousness). In the last verses (6-9) we see the effects of his reign.

If you’ve been to Belfast Zoo recently, or Dublin Zoo - it’s all on the flat - then you’ll know that all the animals are in their own enclosures. They’re all kept separate. Lions in one. Leopards in another. The zoo farm in another area. Here and now, you wouldn’t find these verses in a zookeeper’s instruction manual:

‘The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.’ (6-7)

As Woody Allen once said, the lion will lie down with the lamb, but the lamb won’t get much sleep. To try this now would be a disaster - wolves and lambs; calves and lions, and a little child in with them? Cows and bears together? Not a chance! Not now anyway, but this is a picture of Messiah’s kingdom of peace. Enemies reconciled. No more danger or threat of violence. And that’s seen in how children will play:

‘The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.’

The cobra and the viper are both poisonous snakes, deadly especially to infants. These days you stay away from them, but then, the danger will be gone. Christ’s reign of peace will have come to fruition:

‘They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.’

No harm, no destroying, no death. Instead, the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD. Everyone will know him, be in relationship with him, live out that righteousness, and flourish in this reign of peace. And the knowledge of the LORD will be so full it’ll be like the waters cover the sea. Whenever you see the sea, there’s water. Waters and sea are the same - the sea is full of water! And the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD. We’ll all know him fully, as we are fully known. The effect of Messiah’s reign will be peace.

And, just beyond the poem part, we see verse 10. ‘In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.’

The Lord Jesus is a banner for the peoples - a standard, a flag, calling people to himself - good news of great joy for all the people, because the Saviour has been born. It’s what Jesus himself says in John 12: ‘But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’ The cross stands as a banner, calling you to Jesus, the qualified king, who rules justly and will destroy the wicked, who offers you his peace through his salvation. It’s all possible because Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Son of David, the Son of God. Will you come to him today?

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 23rd December 2018.

Sermon: Isaiah 9: 1-7 What child is this?

Whenever a baby is born, there are a few questions that are always asked. When was the baby born? How heavy was the baby? And, what are they calling it? And so I’ve learned to listen carefully, to try to remember the answers, because the questions are bound to be asked again!

In our reading tonight from Isaiah, we hear of a birth announcement. Now, normally, birth announcements are made after the birth has happened. So, maybe in the Irish Times, so-and-so and so-and-so announce the birth of their baby so-and-so. Or maybe something will be posted on Facebook. But this birth announcement in Isaiah 9 was made seven hundred years before the baby was born.

But forget about what weight the baby was. It’s not mentioned, and probably doesn’t matter. What does matter is found in verse 6 - that the baby has been born, and what the baby will be called.

‘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 Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’

The important facts are recorded there in verse 6. That the baby has been born, and what the baby has been called. But to see why that matters, we need to see verse 6 in the wider context of the chapter and section of Isaiah’s prophecy.

The section begins back in chapter 7, in dangerous days in Jerusalem. King Ahaz, is on the throne in Jerusalem, the son of David ruling in David’s city. But by this time, the kingdom he’s ruling over is only a fragment of King David’s kingdom. The majority of tribes turned away from the kingdom to form the kingdom of Israel (slightly confusing!). And the sons of David rule over the bit called Judah.

And there’s a threat against Jerusalem from the nations of Aram and Israel. Everyone is fearful. But God promises that the nations won’t conquer Jerusalem. And in chapter 7 we find the sign of Immanuel (which we looked at this morning - the virgin giving birth to a son, called Immanuel, which means God with us.).

But even though the threat of Aram and Israel has gone, the people of Judah are going down a deadly path. They’re turning from God, turning instead to consult mediums and spiritists, turning from light to darkness. And that’s what we see by the end of chapter 8. ‘Then they will look towards the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.’ (8:22)

Yet, as chapter 9 starts, God promises that even the dark places, will see light. The places that have suffered from enemy devastation will instead see honour and life. There’s the promise of light:

‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.’ (2)

We’re not used to pitch blackness these days with streetlights and electric lamps and car headlights. But without all those, when it was dark, it really was dark. And the darkness is a picture of our spiritual condition without God. Unable to see. Unseen. Without God’s light. But here God promises not just a tiny light, but a great light. A light dawning - the sun rise.
And because of that light, there will be joy. ‘You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder.’

There’s an increase in joy that comes through the light. And it’s compared to two other circumstances of joy. Imagine the joy of people rejoicing at harvest. The earth has yielded its increase, they’ll have food to eat, and so they rejoice, And that rejoicing is a picture of this rejoicing.

Or, imagine the joy when men are dividing the plunder. They’ve fought a battle, they’ve won a war, and now anything belonging to the enemy is theirs. They’re rejoicing because they’ve won, and because they’ve profited. This rejoicing is like that rejoicing.

The military picture continues, as the light and joy is compared to a previous victory. ‘For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.’ (4-5).

Isaiah looks back to the defeat of Midian, when an enemy was destroyed. Except this is an even bigger day that’s coming. It will mean that the yoke that burdens God’s people will be shattered. God’s people are pictured as the oxen, under a yoke, slaves, burdened. A bar across their shoulders. Being oppressed by a rod wielded by the enemy. The yoke, the bar, the rod, all shattered. Gone for good. There’s freedom and liberation. And more than that, there is peace.

There’ll be no more need of warriors’ boots. No more need of army camouflage outfits. They’ll all be used in the fire. All burned up.

So how is this possible? How can we have this light, this joy, this peace? It all comes through verse 6. As John Lennon sang: Merry Christmas (war is over). But it’s not just because of the Christmas pop tunes that peace comes. It’s because of the Christ of Christmas, the baby announced in verse 6.

This child is born, this son is given, ‘and the government will be on his shoulders.’ They say that a week is a long time in politics. I’m sure for Teresa May, this past year has seemed like an eternity, as the government seems to be at war amongst itself, and as Teresa faced that confidence vote.

But here, this promised baby will shoulder the burden of government himself. And he is the one for the job, as we see because of what he is called. When you look at verse 6, these aren’t the kinds of names that you’ll hear in a playground or a school roll call. These are names that are only fit for one person in the whole of history - the baby born in Bethlehem:

First up, he is the Wonderful Counsellor. Now that’s not a lovely member of the local district council. This isn’t someone serving on Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon Council! This counsellor provides wonderful counsel, advice, encouragement. He’s the one who draws alongside, stands with you, who provides wisdom, giving help in time of need.

Remember when some of the crowds will leave when Jesus says some hard things in John 6? Jesus says to the twelve, will you also leave? Peter answers, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ If you’re wondering about the future; if you’re unsure where to turn; if you need some wisdom - come to the Wonderful Counsellor, the fount of wisdom.

This baby is also the Mighty God. This is no ordinary baby - this is God himself, stepping down to be born as a baby, still powerful and mighty. It doesn’t take long to think of the ways in which this baby will show his power - as he walks on water; as he calms the storm; as he drives out diseases, and makes the lame leap for joy. God has come near, and is lying in the manger. He is almighty, all-powerful, and can do all things. What is it you need him to do? Come to the Mighty God, the source of power.

Thirdly, we see that this baby is the Everlasting Father, or as some would suggest, ‘Father of eternity’. He is in the position of authority for all eternity. Indeed, as Isaiah goes on to say, ‘of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.’ We’re so used to things having expiry dates - the first mince pies that Tesco had on their shelves back in September would be out of date by now! We update our cars and clothes. But the kingdom of Jesus goes on for eternity, and we’re invited to be with him. Come to the Everlasting Father, and worship him now and forevermore.

The final name for the baby is Prince of Peace. The baby lying in the manger is the one who brings peace. That’s what the host of angels confirmed, as they sang ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’ In a world of war, we long for the peace that he brings. Even in recent days, when we hear of ; as well as the places that don’t make it into the news, or which we’ve simply forgotten about; we long for peace.

The promised Son is the one who brings peace, because he gave himself for us rebels, to bring us back to God and bring an end to our conflict. Peace comes through the death of the Prince of Peace.

As you come close to Christmas, as you gaze into the manger, don’t just see a tiny baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths. Ask yourself - what child is this? He is the Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He is the source of our light, our joy, and our peace. And he was born to us, and was given to us. Will you receive him, this Christmas?

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday evening 16th December 2018.

Sermon: Isaiah 49: 1-18 St Patrick's Call

We’re thinking today about St Patrick, but to get us thinking about him and Ireland, we’ve got a quiz to get us going:

In which county is Ireland’s highest mountain? Carrauntoohil, County Kerry (1038m / 3406ft)
In which county did St Patrick build his first church? Saul church, Co. Down.
Which is the smallest county in Ireland? Louth
How many points did Ireland finish the 2018 Six Nations tournament with?
How many seats are there in Stormont and Dail Eireann? Stormont - 90; Dail - 158 (as well as 60 seats in the Seanad)
In which county can you kiss the Blarney stone? Cork
What is the official colour of St Patrick and of Ireland? Blue, not green!
Which other countries also have St Patrick as their patron saint? Nigeria, Montserrat, Puerto Rico

The world turned green for St Patrick's Day! For one day at least, everyone is Irish! All over the world, people drank green beer in honour of St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Yet, incredibly, Patrick wasn't even Irish! Born at Bannavem Taburniae, which is somewhere in either Wales or Scotland, Patrick came from a Christian family. His dad was a deacon, and his grandfather a priest/presbyter. But as he grew up, Patrick didn't believe. "We would not listen to our priests, who advised us about how we could be saved." (Conf 1).

At the age of 16, Patrick was captured by Irish raiders, sold into slavery, and found himself tending sheep (traditionally thought to be at Slemish mountain outside Ballymena). It was here that Patrick came to faith. "More and more the love of God increased, and my sense of awe before God. Faith grew, and my spirit was moved, so that in one day I would pray up to one hundred times, and at night perhaps the same." (Conf 16).

After about six years, he heard a voice in the night telling him to get up, "Look, your ship is ready." He walked for about two hundred miles to get to the boat which took him back to Britain. Initially, the captain didn't want to take him onboard, but Patrick prayed, and his mind was changed. When they landed on the mainland, they walked twenty-eight days without finding any food. The captain (a pagan) challenged Patrick: "What about this, Christian? You tell us that your God is great and all-powerful - why can't you pray for us, since we're in a bad state of hunger?" As Patrick prayed, a herd of pigs appeared before them, providing food for them all.

Eventually, Patrick made it back home to his family. His family urged him to never leave them again, after all his tribulations. But Patrick had a dream, a vision of a man called Victoricus coming from Ireland with a pile of letters - 'the voice of the Irish'. As he began to read one of these letters in his dream, he heard the voices of the Irish people: "We beg you, holy boy, to come and walk again among us." (Conf 23). In their voice, he heard God's voice, calling him back to Ireland, to bring the good news of Jesus.

This is what drove Patrick to come back to Ireland, the place of his slavery - he wanted the pagans to know the true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here's what he writes:

"That is why I cannot be silent - nor would it be good to do so - about such great blessings and such a gift that the Lord so kindly bestowed in the land of my captivity. This is how we can repay such blessings, when our lives change and we come to know God, to praise and bear witness to his great wonders before every nation under heaven." (Conf 3)

He describes Ireland as "the nations to whom the love of Christ brought me." (Conf 13).

But more than that, throughout his Confession, he repeatedly mentions his desire to obey God's command to bring the good news to the ends of the earth, to every nation, and even to Ireland. We're so used to thinking of Ireland as the centre of our universe. We look at a map of the world, and we're fairly central. But to the Roman empire, and Patrick, Ireland was seen as the very edge of the world. Nothing beyond it, and nothing much in it. As Patrick says:

"In this way I can imitate somewhat those whom the Lord foretold would announce his gospel in witness to all nations before the end of the world. This is what we see has been fulfilled. Look at us: we are witnesses that the gospel has been preached right out to where there is nobody else there!" (Conf 34).

He describes himself as "a saving letter of Christ even to the ends of the earth." (Conf 11).

In sections 38-40 of his Confession, Patrick quotes from 9 Bible passages in quick succession, each of them about the nations, the ends of the earth coming to God. One of them is the Great Commission found in Matthew 28, but we’ve looked at it before. So we’re going to focus on our reading from Isaiah 49.

The servant of the LORD is speaking. It’s as if he has a giant megaphone, because, v 1, he’s speaking to places far away: ‘Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations.’ He’s got a message for every nation, even the very far away places, like Ireland!

Bringing a message is the reason for his existence - called before birth, with a mouth like a sharpened sword. (We’re told in Heb 4 that God’s word is like a sharp two edged sword).

This servant was formed to be God’s servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and gather Israel to himself. The focus there is on the people of Israel, the Jews. But then his job description is expanded.

Maybe you’ve had this in your workplace. You’re getting on with things, doing what you’re meant to do, and then your boss decides to give you even more work to do, more responsibility. We see that happening in verse 6:

‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.’

The servant isn’t just going to restore the Israelites. He is also going to be a light for the Gentiles, to bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. Including Ireland.

That’s why Patrick came to Ireland - to bring the good news of God’s salvation here. This picture was going around Facebook yesterday: St Patrick's Day isn't about green beer... it's about a man wanting Ireland to know Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the light of the world, and yet, this passage is also used in Acts to speak of Jesus’ disciples. (Acts 13:47). We are called to shine brightly for God, as the light of Jesus shines in us. That’s what the first disciples did as Jesus sent them out. It’s what Patrick did in his day. And it’s what we’re called to do, here and now.

If we're Christians, these are still our instructions; this is our mission. How can we play our part in fulfilling Christ's command? There's a great little phrase Crosslinks mission agency uses: pray, give, go. We can pray for the work of mission; we can give to support the work of mission; we can go to do the work of mission. You don't have to go across the world to introduce someone to Jesus, you can go across the road.

As we go, we have the promise of Jesus that he is with us always, to the very end of the age. Patrick knew that Jesus was with him - it’s why he wrote his ‘breastplate’, the words of our opening praise. Jesus is with us as we share his good news, so let’s do it!

This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 18th March 2018.

Sermon: Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 Scripture Fulfilled - The Suffering Servant

It’s an assignment I would have failed - my mission impossible. But it’s one that Philip passed with flying colours. One day, he was minding his own business, when an angel told him to go down to the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza. When he got there, he saw a Rolls Royce chariot, heading south. The Spirit told him to ‘go to that chariot and stay near it.’

That’s where I probably would have failed miserably! But Philip runs along beside it, and as he does, he hears the man inside reading aloud; words that were very familiar. So Philip asks him, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ ‘How can I, unless someone explains it to me?’ comes the answer.

Philip is invited to come up and sit with the owner of the chariot - I’m sure he was glad to get his breath again! As he did so, the Ethiopian eunuch read out these words: ‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.’

So who is the prophet speaking about, the eunuch asks. Himself, or someone else? ‘Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news of Jesus.’ (Acts 8:35) From this passage we read tonight, Philip told him the good news of Jesus. Who is it all about? Jesus. Always Jesus. Only Jesus.

That episode from Acts chapter 8 helps us to see the idea we’ve been thinking about all through this Holy Week - that the Old Testament scriptures point forward to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Long before the first Good Friday, the cross was already in view, in types and shadows and patterns - the serpent crusher in Genesis 3 who would defeat the devil; the Passover in Exodus 12, with safety under the blood of the Lamb; the forsaken suffering Saviour in Psalm 22; the substitute that the Lord will provide in Genesis 22.

Tonight we come to what is perhaps the clearest Old Testament description of the cross. Indeed, Isaiah 53 portrays the cross so clearly that some have spoken of Isaiah as the fifth evangelist, an extra gospel writer. John Stott, points out that every verse (apart from v 2) of Isaiah 53 is quoted in the New Testament. But these words were written seven hundred years before the events of the first Good Friday.

Towards the end of Isaiah’s gospel, there are a number of ‘servant songs’ - songs either sung by or about the Lord’s servant, the one who would come to serve and redeem. (Isaiah 42, 44, 49, 53, 61). This servant song (indicated by the opening words of 52:13) has five verses (stanzas), each with three Bible verses.

And those stanzas are arranged like a sandwich. So if you were making a sandwich, you have some bread, then a slice of ham, then some cheese, then another slice of ham, and another bit of bread. Bread on either outside, then ham, and right at the centre, the cheese. Our passage tonight is like that ham and cheese sandwich. The two outside passages are what God says about the servant; inside that are how people treated the servant; and right in the middle is what the servant achieved.

Section 1 - the wise servant. ‘See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.’ Even in the first line of this servant song, God says what the end will be. ‘He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.’ This isn’t just the lifting up of the cross, but already we see the very end, highly exalted in heaven. More than that, he will sprinkle many nations - make them clean, by sprinkling them - yet it isn’t going to be all plain sailing, in verse 14 there’s the hint of what is to come - the many who were appalled at him and his disfigured appearance, and form marred beyond human likeness. The sprinkling and the shock come together - the one flows from the other.

Next section (like the ham), we hear the voices of others, describing this servant. But there’s a question: ‘Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’ That’s the question John asks in chapter 12 of his gospel. The answer? No one, but the disciples. Everyone else had seen the signs, the miracles, and had rejected him.

Verses 2 and 3 are the description of the Lord Jesus’ life. A few years ago there was a BBC programme called ‘Son of God.’ They tried to piece together what Jesus would have looked like. Here’s what they came up with - a broad face and large nose... olive-coloured, swarthy skin, short, curly hair and a short cropped beard. Or in other words, just like every other Jewish man of the time.

Forget the images of Jesus with a halo around his head, so everyone knew who he was. He looked like everyone else, nothing special. No beauty or majesty to attract us to him. It wasn’t that he was the 1st century equivalent of a movie star or pop star that everyone wanted to look at and be like. Rather, he was despised and rejected; a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering. Despised, and we esteemed him not.

Think of someone you try not to see as you walk up the town in Enniskillen. Someone you try to avoid. That’s how people thought of Jesus. They didn’t want to know him.

And then we get to the centre (the cheese section of the sandwich). Here we have the heart of the cross. Do you see the initial misunderstanding of verse 4?

‘Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted.’ Jesus took up our infirmities, he was carrying our sorrows. That’s what he was doing, hearing our burdens. But that’s not what the people saw that day. They instead thought that he was stricken by God, smitten and afflicted. They could only see the God-forsaken cursed one.

But. But look - do you see why Jesus died on the cross? ‘But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.’ Why did Jesus die? For us.

Do you see what Jesus died for? It was our transgressions and our iniquities. Those are two words for sin - the wrong things we’ve done, and the right things we haven’t done. To return to the Garden of Eden again - when Adam and Eve sinned, they didn’t die that day, but one day they would die. But what their sin brought immediately was separation from God. They were removed from the Garden. They were cut off from God.

Jesus takes our sins, and was pierced for them. He was crushed for our iniquities. He didn’t deserve to die, but he died in our place, for our sins. He gives us peace because he took the punishment; by his wounds we are healed.

It’s like being out for a meal, and you go to pay. But someone has already settled your account. The bill has been paid in full. You can’t pay any more. Someone else has made the payment on your behalf. So is this true of you?
Are you included in this ‘our’? Can you truly say tonight that he was pierced for MY transgressions? If you can, rejoice! The price is paid. If not, then please don’t leave tonight without speaking to Colin or myself, and making sure that your sins are covered, forgiven, the price paid.

Maybe you think that you’re not really that bad. Or at least, not as bad as Mr So-and-so. Verse 6 pictures us as sheep. As I arrived at one house to do a Home Communion this week, I had to say, did you know there are a couple of lambs out on the lane? We’re sheep because, we all have gone astray. We’ve wandered from the fold, and turned to our own way. (Isn’t that the heart of sin, going our own way, rather than God’s way?).

We might be like sheep but Jesus is the lamb who has taken our iniquity. More than that, as we go into the next section, back out the other side, Jesus is the lamb led to the slaughter, silent, uncomplaining, willing. Even when he was oppressed and afflicted, he didn’t retaliate, didn’t answer back, he took it.

Who can speak of his descendants? Well, it seems no one, because he was cut off from the land of the living. He was stricken. Put in an early grave, a borrowed grave - died with the wicked, buried in a rich man’s tomb. The Lord Jesus deserved none of this. He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. So why did it happen?

Well, as we come to the final section, we discover what the cross achieved, as we hear again from God. First of all, God’s will - ‘Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer...’ The cross wasn’t just a plan concocted by Pilate and the Jewish religious leaders. They had a hand in it, they acted freely to try to destroy Jesus, they certainly opposed him. But alongside, and through their evil actions, God’s will was also being accomplished.

As the believers say in Acts 4 ‘Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus... They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.’ (Acts 4:27-28). They did it, but they were bringing about God’s will for Jesus to die. Why? ‘And though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.’

This sacrificial death of the suffering servant isn’t the end of the story. Earlier we asked, Who can speak of his descendants? Look around you! He will see his offspring. Even here, the promise of the resurrection is included. The sufferings and the subsequent glories (as Peter said).

Verse 11: ‘After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.’ It’s in knowing Christ that we are justified by him, our iniquities borne away.

And it’s because Jesus has done these things, that verse 12 comes. Again, it’s God speaking. ‘Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.’

A portion among the great - the highest place that heaven affords is his, is his by right. Just as verse 13 had already said - ‘he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.’

This morning an American pastor tweeted a cartoon strip. There are two men in it. One says, ‘I hate the term Good Friday.’ The other asks, why? So the first says, ‘My Lord was hanged on a tree that day.’ The other says, ‘If you were going to be hanged on that day, and he volunteered to take your place, how would you feel?’ The first thinks, and says, ‘Good.’ ‘Have a nice day’ is the other’s reply.

What’s so good about Good Friday? Jesus died for our transgressions. In my place condemned he stood. But Good Friday is not the end of the story. It’s Friday, but Sunday’s coming. Jesus has fulfilled the scripture - not just in his cross, but also in his resurrection. That’s why this is Good Friday.

This sermon was preached in Brookeborough Methodist Church on Good Friday 14th April 2017 in the Scripture Fulfilled series.

Sermon: Isaiah 9:6 Nativity Names

When a baby is born, there seems to be a few questions which are always asked. When was the baby born? How heavy was the baby? And what are they calling it? And so when you hear those details, they are committed to memory, to share with whoever asks those self same questions!

In our readings tonight, we hear of two birth announcements, both for the same birth. One is made after it happens, the way birth announcements normally work - when the angels announce the good news to the shepherds; but the other announcement was made about 700 years before the baby was born. Imagine, that those words of Isaiah were written down so long before the event, and yet he gets the details spot on.

Forget about what weight the baby was - it probably doesn’t matter. Isaiah focuses in on the important question - what are they calling it? In verse 6, we’re given the names of the child born to us, the son given to us. But these aren’t the usual sort of names you might hear in the school roll call; you wouldn’t get these names being shouted in the park or the playground. Speaking of unusual and rare names - it seems that the name Gary could become extinct: only 33 babies born in the UK in 2014 were called Gary. Us Garys are an endangered species!

But rather than being just rarely used, and unusual, the names we find in Isaiah 9:6 are unique names, names for only one person in the whole of history, names that wouldn’t fit anyone else. (You know the way some people say, oh, you look like a Gertrude, or you don’t look like a Colin...). Well these names fit this baby of Bethlehem. They tell us who is in the manger.

First up, he is the Wonderful Counsellor. Now, that’s not a lovely local member of the district council - this Counsellor provides wonderful counsel. He’s one who draws alongside, who stands with you, who provides wisdom, giving help in time of need. Remember when some of the crowds will leave when Jesus says some hard things in John 6? Jesus says to the twelve, will you also leave? Peter answers, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’ If you’re wondering about the future; if you’re unsure where to turn; if you need some wisdom - come to the Wonderful Counsellor, the fount of wisdom.

This baby is also the Mighty God. This is no ordinary baby - this is God himself, stepping down to be born as a baby, still powerful and mighty. It doesn’t take long to think of the ways in which this baby will show his power - as he walks on water; as he calms the storm; as he drives out diseases, and makes the lame leap for joy. God has come near, and is lying in the manger. He is almighty, all-powerful, and can do all things. What is it you need him to do? Come to the Mighty God, the source of power.

Thirdly, we see that this baby is the Everlasting Father, or as some would suggest, ‘Father of eternity’. He is in the position of authority for all eternity. Indeed, as Isaiah goes on to say, ‘of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.’ We’re so used to things having expiry dates - the first mince pies that Tesco had on their shelves back in September would be out of date by now! We update our cars and clothes. But the kingdom of Jesus goes on for eternity, and we’re invited to be with him. Come to the Everlasting Father, and worship him now and forevermore.

The final name for the baby is Prince of Peace. The baby lying in the manger is the one who brings peace. That’s what the host of angels confirmed, as they sang ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’ In a world of war, we long for the peace that he brings. Even in recent days, when we hear of the Berlin lorry attack; fighting in Aleppo in Syria; as well as the places that don’t make it into the news, or which we’ve simply forgotten about; we long for peace.

The baby in the manger is the one who brings peace, because he gave himself for us rebels, to bring us back to God and bring an end to our conflict. That’s why, on the night we remember his birth, we also make sure to remember his death. Peace comes through the death of the Prince of Peace.

Isaiah points us to the manger of Bethlehem, to the baby lying in the straw. But as you pause to remember, don’t just see a baby. Don’t leave him as a baby. BEcause this little baby is the Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God’ the Everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace.

The baby grew up to live and die to bring us peace; and reigns in heaven for ever and ever. Christ the king offers us his peace, as his light shines into the darkness of our hearts. As that John Lennon song suggests: ‘Merry Christmas: War is over, if you want it; war is over now.’

This sermon was preached at the Christmas Eve Communion in Aghavea Parish Church on Saturday 24th December 2016.

Sermon: Isaiah 7:1-17 God With Us

Have you ever found yourself asking: Is God really with us? Does he really care about us? Is he for us?

Perhaps you take a reflective approach. You see the images taken by the space telescopes; you think of the vastness of the universe; and you think - if there’s a God at all, then he must be too busy to be bothered about little old me and my concerns. He might be well-meaning, but mired down in running the universe.

Or perhaps he is distant, uncaring. It’s like that song by Bette Midler, ‘From a Distance.’ He’s a bit like your neighbours across the street or across the fields - watching you from a distance, but not really too bothered with how things are going. He got the whole thing started off, but now it’s ticking along nicely without him.

But maybe you wonder if God really cares about you when something terrible happens. Illness, or bereavement, unemployment or financial worries come along, and you’re not sure that God can help. Does he see but not bother? Does he not care?

For Ahaz, it wasn’t illness that got him wondering. It was an attack by the enemy. Ahaz was the King of Judah, a great-great-grandson of David. But now the armies of Aram and Israel appeared on the horizon ready to attack Jerusalem. [Just in case you’re confused about Israel being the baddies - after Solomon had died, the kingdom of the twelve tribes of Israel had divided into two nations - Judah the southern kingdom, with the sons of David as kings, and what is confusingly still known as ‘Israel’ the northern kingdom]

The word spreads about the advance of the enemy. The effect on the people is terror. They’re all over the place, they’re so frightened. As we’re told in verse 2: ‘the heart of Ahaz and the heart of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.’ We’ve even had some practical demonstration of that this week - the storm and the trees blowing about.

Ahaz is the king, the leader of God’s people, yet his heart is all over the place. He’s like the guy in Dad’s Army shouting ‘Don’t panic, don’t panic’ as he panics the most! Does God see? Does God care?

The LORD sends Isaiah the prophet with his son to meet Ahaz with a message. ‘Take heed, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint.’ Do the opposite of what you’re doing right now. Stop being afraid, and instead trust. No matter what they’re plotting; no matter what appears to be happening, the LORD calls Ahaz to trust him.

In verses 7-9, he gives a little piece of prophecy in poetry. And it’s all about standing or not standing. First of all, their plans and plots ‘it shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.’ Then in the very middle of it, there’s a promise that Ephraim (another name for Israel) will be shattered, will no longer stand. But enough about their plans not standing, and Ephraim not standing - now comes the challenge: ‘If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all.’

As God talks about the future and about his enemies, Ahaz can either refuse to listen and continue to worry and panic and not get anywhere because he’s trying to do things in how own strength; or he can hear what God is saying, take him at his word, and stand firm in faith. That’s what faith is - hearing God’s promises and taking him at his word.

As if even that wasn’t enough, God goes a step further. He invites Ahaz to ‘ask a sign of the LORD your God’. Just ask, and God will show you that he means it. But Ahaz says he won’t do it - he doesn’t want to put the Lord to the test. It sounds like the right answer - it’s scriptural - but in this case, God had told him to ask for a sign, it wasn’t testing God without reason.

Yet even with that, God gives him a sign anyway. ‘Look, the young woman (virgin) is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.’ Now whenever we hear that verse our minds immediately jump to Jesus. But it must have meant something in the immediate context to Ahaz.

There was a young woman, a virgin he knew, perhaps a daughter or woman who lived in the palace. And what God promises here is that she will (by the normal, natural process) have a baby. By the time the baby knows the difference between evil and good, the lands of Aram and Israel will be defeated, the kings long gone, the enemy no longer a threat.

And the baby’s name will be a reminder for Ahaz of the truth of God’s promise, a reminder that he could have and should have stood firm in faith - Immanuel, God is with us. You can picture the scene. Ahaz is sitting at home watching the TV news. The Middle East is again centre stage. The cameras are showing the scenes as his great enemies are defeated, as the kings of Aram and Israel are captured, but he can’t hear the TV newsreader. The baby is gurgling. He calls out, Oh Immanuel, hush. Oh, God is with us, just as he promised.

God was with his people in the days of Ahaz. The word of God promising that a young woman (who was a virgin then, but would be married and) would have a baby was intended for him - but it had a double meaning. It was also a pointer to the future, when a virgin would indeed have a baby.

Joseph couldn’t get his head around the news. He was engaged to Mary, betrothed, but then she announced that she was pregnant? She tried saying something about angels and God, but he just couldn’t believe it. She had been unfaithful - she must have been. But then the angel spoke to Joseph.

The child is from the Holy Spirit; the special baby who will be called Jesus, because he is the God who saves. And Matthew, writing under the guidance of the Spirit, discovers that this also fulfils the old prophecy of Isaiah - that Jesus is truly Immanuel - not just a sign that God is with his people - but he is God with us.

Now we can know for certain that God is with us - he has stepped into the world he made. He has moved into the neighbourhood. God is not distant. God certainly does care. This is the heart of the Christmas message - God is with us to save us from our sins and bring us to himself.

And so as we baptise Ruby today, we pray that God will be with her, as she grows up, so that she finds rescue from her sins. It’s the gift that God gives us at Christmas - himself. But you don’t have to wait until Christmas Day to receive this present. He invites you to get to know him today.

It’s very simple. Come by faith. Trust in his word of promise - that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. That’s what makes someone a Christian - taking God at his word. standing firm in faith, not being blown about by worries. Because, as Isaiah told Ahaz: ‘If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all.’ Stand firm today, with faith in the God who loves you, who is God with you, today and every day.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 22nd December 2013.

Harvest Sermon: Isaiah 55:1-13 The Great Invitation

I always enjoy seeing the postman arriving, and seeing what has come in the post. Working from home, as soon as I hear the post hitting the mat, I can see what we’ve received. The pile is quickly sorted - letters for Lynsey, brown envelopes (probably bills so we’ll leave those til last), white envelopes, flyers and junk mail... But every once in a while, there’ll be something different. The envelope is fancier than just white paper, the address might be written in calligraphy, it’s much more exciting than the phone bill or whatever.

Opening the envelope, there’ll be a fancy card, probably hand made, lots of effort, with ribbons or bows or hearts or whatever the fashion is for them this year. And on the inside, yes, you’ve guessed it - Mr and Mrs ... invite you to the wedding of their daughter... We’ve all received a wedding invite at one time or another. You’re invited to come along and join in the celebration.

In our Old Testament reading, we find an exciting invitation, not to a wedding as such, but to a great feast. God himself is speaking, inviting us to drink, to eat, to be satisfied in him. Listen to verse 1: ‘Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.’ It’s an invitation to hungry, thirsty, needy people, people who despite having money and possessions aren’t satisfied by them. Verse 2: ‘Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy?’

Do you remember when you got your first pay packet? Suddenly you have your own money; you can buy what you like. My first job was after school in a corner shop. Two shifts in the week meant that I got about £10. I literally was a child in a sweetshop! But the things that were bought didn’t really satisfy. I thought I was rich, but the things bought wouldn’t satisfy. The hunger continues to grow, the thirst never leaves us.

What can we do? Will we just continue round the cycle forever and ever, wanting more, getting it, then wanting more? Into our situation, God sends his invitation - to drink, to eat, to live - without money and without cost. Completely free - just come and listen, come and eat, come and be satisfied. The last verses of the chapter give us a picture of the satisfaction available: joy and peace, so that even the mountains and hills and trees join the celebration! Things are turned around, from thorns to pine trees, from briers to myrtle.

The invitation is for all people. David in verse 3 is the kingly Messiah, the witness to the peoples, so that many peoples will be drawn to him, even nations unknown. No longer is the promise just for the Jews; all nations are invited to come and share in the blessings to Abraham. When Isaiah had written this down, if you’d been able to tell him that two and a half thousand years later, people gathered in a wee hall in the countryside of Ulster would be reading and hearing his words, he’d have asked where?! The invitation has come to us, and is for us, and for all people.

You see, the seeking after things, possessions, money, wealth, it’s all foolish and sinful. God the creator wants us to enjoy him, but we just want to enjoy the things he has made, without him. We enjoy wickedness, rather than what is true and good.

The invitation to come and be satisfied also requires us to change (through God’s rich mercy). You see, God is the ‘Holy One of Israel’ (verse 5), the one whose thoughts are not our thoughts and his ways are not our ways. He is holy, and we are sinful. We must be changed, as we accept the invitation.

Just as you wouldn’t dream going to a wedding in the everyday clothes you would open the post in, so God’s invitation urges us to be changed: Verse 7 - ‘Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts.’ Turning away from sin, turning towards God - this is the essence of repentance, which is how we respond to God’s invitation. And as we do, we find a great surprise: God promises a welcome, mercy, and pardon.

‘Let him return to the LORD, and he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.’ There is no doubt - as we turn to God, he WILL have mercy, he WILL pardon! ‘The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.’ What great news this is! We expect to have to pay for our sin, to make up for the wrong that we do, to bear the punishment, but God declares a free pardon, complete mercy.

When I was growing up, I wasn’t very good with library books. I would get them out, and take them home, read them, but then they would get lost in the mess of my bedroom. Weeks turned into months, sometimes even years. I daren’t have gone back to the library because of the massive fines. But every so often there would be an advert in the local paper declaring an amnesty for overdue library books. The books could be returned, and no fine would be charged. A free pardon. You can imagine my joy - I hunted for the books, and got straight down to the library!

All that to avoid a fine of a couple of pounds (a lot of money to a nine-year old!) - what great news to be offered free pardon for a lifetime of sin and wickedness! It’s free, but it’s not without cost. Say that you owed a friend £100. If your friends says not to worry about it - you get off for free; you don’t have to pay it back; but it’s because your friend has paid the cost of it.

Our free pardon comes because of what Jesus has done on the cross. He has paid our debt as he takes our sin and gives us the pardon. Our sins have been paid - you go free.

The invitation has been made - come and be satisfied. The invitation is for all people - get the word out. The invitation requires change - turn and be pardoned. God then goes on to show that the invitation will be successful. I remember when we sent out our wedding invites, we had no idea who would say they were coming - it was the middle of the holidays, and some people had booked flights etc already. But here, God says that his word is powerful and effective - the invitation will be answered, just as the rain is also fruitful.

Now we’re very familiar with the rain in this part of the world. There was some amount of it fell yesterday. Just as God sends the rain and snow (verse 10), which makes the plants grow, and gives us a fruitful harvest, providing all the crops that we see around us, so God’s word is also fruitful. Verse 11: ‘So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth: It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.’ God’s word will do what he wants - those who hear will respond as God wills.

Look back at verses 2 and 3 - The way to respond is to hear God’s word: ‘Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.’ How do we hear the powerful invitation? We listen to God’s word - here, the prophet Isaiah declares the invitation many years before Jesus was born, yet it’s the same invitation that Jesus gives: ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew 11:28)

The invitation echoes down through the Bible as God invites us into his people, in relationship with him. It’s all pointing forward to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb, the feasting and joy in heaven.

The invitation has been made - come and be satisfied. The invitation is for all people. The invitation requires change - turn and be pardoned. The invitation will be successful - listen to the call. But there’s one last verse I want to mention. When we get a wedding invite, I’m always very slow to reply. I forget to get the acceptance card, or the invite disappears under the mountain of paper on my desk. Or it sits on the hall table without being posted. I’m slow to reply, and almost missed out on one wedding through a late reply!

Verse 6 tells us the invitation is urgent: ‘Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.’ You have heard the invitation to new life today, don’t leave it too late to respond. We’re called to seek the LORD while he may be found - one day it will be too late - perhaps even tonight for some of you. The deadline will pass, and the LORD will say ‘time’. A wee while back, there was talk of a thing known as ‘Fergie Time’ - where it seemed that Manchester United kept playing until they scored a late equaliser or even a late winner. But there is no added on time. How terrible to leave it too late, and miss out on the great invitation, to miss the rich feasting, the satisfaction, the joy of sins forgiven, of peace with God, of tremendous mercy.

God has given you an invitation today. What will you do with it? ‘Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.’

This sermon was preached at the Harvest Service in Cornafanog Orange Hall on Thursday 17th October 2013.

Sermon: Isaiah 12 A Song of Salvation

On this very day, sixty years ago, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth the Second took place at Westminster Abbey. Did anyone see it on TV? On such a special day, there was the traditional music - the anthems we’re used to hearing, such as Parry’s ‘I was glad’ and Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’ - but there were also some new musical items, specially composed for the occasion. According to Wikipedia, the font of all knowledge, Ralph Vaughan Williams composed a motet ‘O Taste and See’, William Walton a new setting of the Te Deum, and Healy Willan an anthem ‘O Lord our Governor.’ There were also new orchestral pieces from Arthur Bliss, William Walton and Arnold Bax.

Special occasions require special songs - both old and new. In Isaiah chapter 12, God gives us a new song to be sung on a special day. Twice in the chapter, we’re told ‘You will say in that day’ - but you might be wondering, well, what day is that? For that we need to go to the previous chapter - where we find that ‘that day’ is when the root of Jesse, the one empowered by the Spirit, achieves complete salvation. It’s a coronation anthem for us to sing when Jesus returns and ushers in the new creation.

Already, we have the words. I remember one of the first times that we took my wee brother to a Northern Ireland game. He was worried beforehand that he wouldn’t know the songs; he wanted me to teach them to him. It really wasn’t difficult - ‘Northern Ireland do do do do do’

Here, Isaiah gives us the words; it’s as if we’re in choir practice for the heavenly chorus. We praise now, but it will be so much bigger and better on that day. So what will we be singing on that day?

The first verse is a personal song - it’s all I and you. ‘I will give thank to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.’

It’s a song for everyone who has known the joy of sins forgiven, of wrath turned away through the cross of Jesus. God was angry with me, but his anger has been turned away by the blood of Jesus. Now we receive comfort. So we rejoice and sing of God our salvation.

I wonder can you sing that song? It’s easy, at a favourite hymns evening to be caught up in the music, and to sing some familiar old hymns. But can you sing these words? Have you come to know God as your saviour? Even tonight you can come and be assured of sins forgiven.

But we can’t stop there. You see, it’s never enough to simply say, well I’m saved, I’m all right. The second verse drives us to open up our focus, to look at the needy and lost world around us, and to declare God’s praise to a watching world.

‘Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.’

When we rejoice in our salvation, so we want others to know about the good news of the gospel as well. The risen Jesus sends out his disciples, and so he continues to send us out, as we make known the name of Jesus, the works of Jesus, so that everyone will come to praise him.

On that day, John tells us that there will be people from every nation and language and people. Together we’ll praise our great God and Saviour. The timetable of heaven will be ceaseless praise. Let’s get into practice here and now, as we praise the Lord in our thoughts and deeds, but also with our words.

This sermon was preached at the Favourite Hymns evening in Aghahvea Church on Sunday 2nd June 2013.

Sermon Audio: Isaiah 9:1-7

Yesterday morning I was preaching from Isaiah 9, as we considered the announcement of the Royal Baby in this Advent season.

Sermon: Isaiah 9:1-7 The Royal Baby

Among all the bad news stories at the minute, there has been one good news story: the announcement of the forthcoming royal birth. You can’t have failed to have seen it on the news - Prince William and Princess Kate (Katherine) are expecting a baby.

Photographers and TV cameras were camped outside the hospital where Kate was being treated for her severe morning sickness. Everyone wanted all the details. For the next few months, you can expect the ‘royal bump watch’ to continue, tracking the progress of the pregnancy.

In a time of recession, and violence, and redundancies, it’s been good to get some good news. The mood of the newsreaders lifts. There are smiles all round. A baby is on its way!

Our reading this morning also contains the news of a royal birth. Just as now, the people were in dark and dreary circumstances. The people are described as walking in darkness, living in a land of deep darkness. It’s even worse than the way the nights are drawing in; even worse than a friend who’s a missionary in Sweden, where some days they don’t even get daylight. They’re caught in deep darkness. No hope, only despair. (Remember, this is from the time before street lights or powerful torches.)

Isaiah says that they will experience a turnaround. ‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined.’ (2) It’s the difference between night and day; darkness and light - the change being brought about through this special announcement. For those in darkness, the baby will bring light.

In verses three to five, we see the spreading effects of the light, as well as the cause of it: ‘You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.’

Before there was only despair, but the new baby will bring joy. The rejoicing will be like the joy that comes when harvest is gathered in; the joy that comes when victory in battle has been won, and you’re sharing the spoils of war. It’s a dramatic turn around - and all because the victory has been won. Look with me at verse 4: ‘For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.’ Isaiah looks back to a time when Israel had defeated the Midianites, and says that this new victory will be like that one.

No longer will God’s people be in slavery; no longer will they be commanded by an enemy. They’re pictured like oxen with the yoke of their burden, slaving for their oppressor. The yoke will be broken; the rod will be shattered. God’s people will be free, as they share in the victory.

Verse 5 pictures a great bonfire of all the soldiers’ uniform and kit. It’s not needed any more; it’s burned as fuel for the fire. Do you know the John Lennon song ‘Merry Christmas (War is Over)’? I’ll not try to sing it, but this is in effect what Isaiah is promising - war is over; and all because of the birth of this baby.

Is it any wonder there is rejoicing? The victory is within reach; violence and slavery and oppression are almost finished. Where once there was despair; there is now hope and joy.

The news coverage of Kate’s pregnancy is already reaching fever pitch. It doesn’t matter whether the baby will be a boy or a girl - the law is being changed to make it the firstborn child becomes monarch, rather than the oldest boy (even if he has older sisters). So Kate’s baby will potentially be King or Queen. This is our future monarch!

So with Isaiah. Several times he reminds us of just what this baby will do: ‘authority rests on his shoulders’ (6); ‘His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom.’ (7) This baby is the king, in the line of David, who will establish justice and righteousness - not just for a little time, but for ever and ever.

For this eternal peace, we need an eternal king - not just a long line of feeble kings, some good, some disappointing. This baby will be the eternal king, forever to reign on the throne. A reign that will make Queen Elizabeth’s reign seem like a blink of the eye.

Now how is this possible? Are these not huge claims? Could this really happen? Is there such a candidate to take the throne and bring peace and rule forever?

Already there is speculation as to the name of William and Kate’s new baby. We don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, but already suggestions have been given as to what it might be called. In verse 6, we discover the names given to this new baby: ‘For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’

The baby king is the Wonderful Counsellor - now, that’s not a lovely local politician, not a councillor, but a Counsellor - one who draws alongside, who provides wisdom, who helps in time of need. He’s also the Mighty God - you see, this is no ordinary baby, but God himself stepping down to be born as a baby, still powerful and mighty. The third title, Everlasting Father, shows the baby as the one who is in the position of authority, the father of the nation, for ever. Prince of Peace - the baby brings peace.

Taken together, these names point us to the identity of the baby King, and show what he has done for us. You see, we are the people walking in darkness, apart from God we have no hope. Jesus, the light of the world stepped down into our darkness to rescue us. Our darkness is the realm of Satan, the prince of darkness, to whom we are bound as slaves, serving him in our slavery to sin. But Jesus has won the victory against sin, the world and the devil through the cross, giving us joy and gladness, and freedom and peace.

It’s why Satan tried to use Herod to destroy the baby Jesus in Matthew 2 in the slaughter of the innocents. But Jesus was spared, and went on to win the victory.

Isaiah points us to the manger of Bethlehem, to the baby lying in the straw. But as you approach this Christmas, don’t just see a baby. Don’t leave him as a baby. Because this seemingly helpless, frail baby, is also the Wonderful Counsellor; the Mighty God; the Everlasting Father; the Prince of Peace.

The baby grew up to live and die to bring us peace; and reigns in heaven for ever and ever. Christ the king offers us his peace, as his light shines into the darkness of our hearts. As that John Lennon song suggests: ‘Merry Christmas: War is over, if you want it; war is over now.’

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 9th December 2012.

Sermon: Matthew 13: 10-17 The Purpose of the Parables

Have you ever seen one of those magic eye pictures? You know the type - it’s a pattern, and as you keep looking at it, suddenly another picture appears. Or so I’ve been told. I can never see them. You could tell me that the secret picture is of an elephant riding a unicycle over a tightrope and I wouldn’t know. People who can see them might even get frustrated with me - it’s right there, how can you not see it?

Seeing, but not really perceiving. Last week we began to look at Matthew 13, as Jesus teaches a series of parables by the lakeside, and we listened in as he speaks of the parable of the sower - the seed is sown, the four different responses. The parable is for the crowd, and it’s only later that Jesus explains it, to his disciples. In between the parable and the explanation, we find today’s reading. The disciples ask Jesus - ‘why do you speak to them in parables?’

The disciples might be seeing the puzzled response of the crowd; they perhaps see that the crowd aren’t quite understanding what Jesus is saying. The disciples might even be having a hard time understanding him themselves! They’re asking why doesn’t Jesus come straight out and say what he really means. Why does he use stories and parables?

The key to Jesus’ answer comes in verse 11. Look there with me: ‘To you (that is, to the disciples) it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.’ The words of Jesus are bringing a division between people - those who will come to know the secrets of the kingdom and those who won’t; between those who will see and hear and not get it, and those who will.

Let’s think about these two groups. Over in verse 13 Jesus gives the reason for speaking in parables: ‘The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.”’ On the surface, they’re seeing Jesus, they’re hearing him speak, they’re listening to the parable of the sower, but it’s all just on the surface.

They’re not really hearing the true story, what it’s all about; they’re not getting to the deeper meaning. In the same way, they’re seeing Jesus, but they’re not really perceiving him - they don’t realise that he is the Son of God, the King of this kingdom he is proclaiming. They’re a bit like me and my magic eye picture - I’ll look, but I’ll not see it.

You might have noticed that this phrase “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” is in quotation marks in our Bibles - Jesus is picking up and using a phrase that comes several times in the Old Testament. You see, this isn’t the first time the people of Israel, the people of God, have been slow on the uptake. They have form in this sort of experience.

Back in Deuteronomy 29, Moses is addressing the people before he dies and they cross over into the promised land. They have experienced the miracles of Exodus; God’s provision for them in the wilderness, yet still they don’t really trust in the Lord, they’re still rebellious. They don’t want to listen.

In fact, as Jesus says here, his generation is the fulfilling of the prophecy of Isaiah 6. I’m sure you know the passage well - as the prophet Isaiah is called for service, the vision of the LORD in the temple, his conviction of his sin in the face of God’s glory, his sin being taken away, and then the question from the throne: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And with that, Isaiah says ‘Here I am, send me!’

Now that’s where we like to stop the reading. Application - God called Isaiah, and God is calling you, will you go for him? But carry on into the next verse, and you discover just what Isaiah was being called to do. It wasn’t the victorious, triumphant, wonderful message you might think. ‘Go and say to this people: Keep listening, but do not comprehend; keep looking, but do not understand...’

It’s the very passage that Jesus quotes here - Isaiah’s ministry is to expose the people’s blindness and deafness. Isaiah comes from God, and the people don’t listen to him - because they refuse to listen.

I don’t know if you’ve seen any of the Olympics (maybe you’re fed up with them, but don’t worry, they’re all over tonight!). The other day they were interviewing the swimmer Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian ever. He said about how the President of the United States, Barack Obama had phoned him during the Olympics to wish him well. This was a great thing, a privilege, for the leader of his country to ring him up.

But imagine that Michael hasn’t answered the phone. Or had answered and then starting humming to himself. Or didn’t bother listening. This is a bit like how the people of Israel were in Isaiah’s day, and also in Jesus’ day. They had the privilege of the Creator of the universe speaking to them, and how did they react? They put their fingers in their ears, they closed their eyes, they refused to turn back to God and be healed.

Could this be said of us as well? You could be an upstanding member of the community, someone who has been born and bred, baptised and confirmed in the Church of Ireland, never miss a Sunday, and yet it’s as if you’re sitting with fingers in your ears as God speaks through his word. Is this you? Oh how we need to cry for mercy, asking that God would open our ears that we would hear, and give us hearts to turn to him for healing and salvation.

How could we be members of the kingdom if we refuse to listen to the king? If we disobey what he says?

In contrast to the crowds, the disciples have been given the secrets of the kingdom. To know the Lord Jesus personally, to understand his work of salvation on the cross, to hear him teaching - Jesus says that their eyes and ears are blessed, because of their place in history.

The Old Testament believers had only the promise of the King, which they believed, but they longed to see the Messiah themselves, and to hear his word. They looked forward to the day Jesus would walk on the earth - what a privilege for the disciples to be with Jesus. They got to hear him and see him.

It’s a privilege we share with them, coming after them in time, having the words of Jesus written down for us, so that we too can see his work and hear his words. How blessed we are, to have the Scriptures in our language.

What a privilege we have - but with that a great responsibility to make sure that we are listening to him. We share in the blessing of the disciples, and one day we too will see him face to face, in his eternal kingdom, where we’ll be with him and see him and hear him directly.

So as Jesus speaks to us through the Bible, are you listening to him? Will you receive his word?

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 12th August 2012.

Hezekiah's Removals

Last night I felt a bit like King Hezekiah. Not because I have delusions of grandeur, or desires of royalty, but because I was following his example from Isaiah 39:2.

And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armoury, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.

Prior to this, Hezekiah had been ill, and so when he recovered, the envoys of Babylon came to bring him a congratulatory gift. After the pleasantries, he gives them the guided tour of the palace, storehouses, riches, just about everything.

While we don't have silver or gold (apart from wedding rings!), last night I did show a man everything we have, as the removals man prepared an estimate for moving us from our curatage to our new rectory. The old awkward piano, the big wardrobe that'll need dismantling etc. When the quotes are in, we'll pick our movers and book the date of the big move. That was the very reason the man came this evening.


On the other hand, it was completely unexpected for Hezekiah. It's only afterwards that the prophet Isaiah comes to Hezekiah and tells him what it means:

Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says the LORD. (Isaiah 39:5-6)

In the next generation, the Babylonian removals firm will be so successful that the royal palace will be wiped out and everything moved to Babylon. Everything seen will be transferred, and Jerusalem left in ruins. The end of an era and the beginning of exile for the people of God.

It's no accident that the very next words after this promise of removal and exile are the glorious words of restoration and return:

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. (Isaiah 40:1)

A return so wonderful that Jerusalem will be exalted and all tribes will come to the city to learn from the LORD God. But that is years in the future when Hezekiah showed the contents of his palace. The Babylonians were very efficent, so that nothing was left behind. I just hope our removals firm are as good as those Babylonians!

The Way of the Cross (35)

The very last section of Isaiah 53 contains a few more surprises, as we'll see as we reflect on it today.

The first one comes in verse 10. Despite the servant of the LORD having done no violence and having no deceit in his mouth, the reason for his death is surprising. On his death certificate, what would be recorded as cause of death?

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:10)

The LORD crushes his servant, his Son. It was his plan and purpose, foretold for so long beforehand, and yet isn't it still shocking? The only one who perfectly pleased the LORD suffers at his hands, dying for guilty, filthy rebels who deserved the punishment.

But the crushing wasn't the end of the will of the LORD - Jesus' death isn't the end. Rather, it's a new beginning - the verse continues to talk of him seeing his offspring, having prolonging days, and prospering the will of the LORD. This isn't a Da Vinci Code type Jesus and his children by marriage. The offspring are all his children, his brothers and sisters who are given birth in the gospel, who live in the benefits and blessings of his sacrifice.

Ultimately, by the knowledge of the servant, the righteous one, many will be made righteous. His sacrifice is satisfying, the will of the LORD has been fulfilled, as God takes on the punishment God inflicts, to let us go free and be righteous in his sight. His death was not the end, and so our death is not the end either, as we trust in Christ. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

The Way of the Cross (34)

As Isaiah 53 continues, we keep on seeing the intricate details writ large so many centuries before Jesus fulfilled them exactly. In the next stanza, we see the details of his trial, his burial, and the declaration of his innocence.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth. (Isaiah 53:7-10)

Behold the Lamb of God, silent before his judge; committing himself to God, the just judge (1 Pet 2). In this he gives us the example to follow as we trace his steps and suffer wrong for the sake of the gospel. How quick we can be to protest at unfair treatment - and from so young an age.

If a sibling or friend got one more sweet than you, you were quick to protest. Even as adults, we can be quick to defend our own rights, but slow to consider the needs of others. As Christians, we are not guaranteed an easy life - persecution will come when we stand for Jesus, because if they hated him, they will hate you.

Can you follow the example of Jesus and endure when you do good and suffer for it? How much we need his grace, to follow in his steps, the grace that flows through his gracious sacrifice on the cross. It's a witness to a watching world, who may ask the reason for the hope that is in us, even when enduring trials.

O let me see thy footprints,
and in them plant mine own.

The Way of the Cross (33)

Behold the man upon the cross, and what do you see? For many, as they think of Jesus on the cross, they see a tragic ending to an interesting life. Jesus, the teacher, cut short because he was offending people.

Others may think of Jesus as being under the curse. That's how some of those watching that day were thinking - if God wants him, let God save him. After all, he's dying the death of a criminal - and there's no smoke without fire.

But when we become a Christian, our perspective on the cross changes, so that we can echo the words written so long before the cross, in the prophecy of Isaiah 53. That death, that agony, wasn't purposeless - it was for us; for me. In a wonderful way explained only by penal substitution, Jesus is dying in our place, for our sins, for our healing.

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 crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.
All 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 us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)

Ours is the guilt, his the righteousness.

Ours is the sin, his the remedy.

Ours is the death, his the rescue.

As Paul would later write, 'the Son of God, who loved ME and gave himself for ME. (Galatians 2:20, emphasis added).

As we journey towards the cross, may we never forget the reason Christ died - for us, for me, for you. How marvellous, how wonderful is my Saviour's love for me.

The Way of the Cross (32)

As we continue to ponder the Servant of the LORD, we find more astonishing and amazing descriptions of his person and work in Isaiah 53. Given who this is, it's remarkable how 'ordinary' and unremarkable his life was:

For he grew up before him life a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53:2)

In contrast with the great and the good, the beautiful people we see all the time in marketing and advertising, the Lord Jesus was plain, nothing special to look at. But as if that were not enough:

He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3)

We often fear rejection, and so try to please people, to be liked and accepted by them. How lonely the mission of the Son of God, who knew what it is to be rejected and despised. How amazing, that the very God who created the world, when he came to the world, was rejected by the world.

We turned our back on him, refused to listen, and thought he had something wrong with him? The man of sorrows identifies with our sorrows, because he has known them, and bore them. That agony of the cross was the ultimate sorrow, yet he did not turn away; he endured the cross for the joy that was set before him.

Hallelujah! What a Saviour.

The Way of the Cross (31)

The servant of the LORD is described in various passages towards the end of Isaiah, and we're going to slow right down over the next few days as we think about one of the most famous prophecies of the cross and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.

Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
As many were astonished at you -
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind -
so shall he sprinkle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand. (Isaiah 52:13-15)

This last and greatest of the servant songs portrays the servant of the LORD in surprising ways - high and lifted up, but marred in appearance; his form so deformed as to hardly be considered human. So surprising, that kings shut their mouths because of him; so shocking that this should be one so highly favoured.

And in this first stanza, the mention of sprinkling many nations - for cleansing, purifying. In some way the work of the servant of the LORD, while marring him, will cleanse and heal others. That's all we're told in the first section of this amazing prophecy - so tune in tomorrow for another portion, and a further revealing of the mystery of the passion of the Son of God.

The Way of the Cross (30)

Is God forgetful? That's the question that Zion, the city of God was asking. To all intents and purposes, it looked as if God had forgotten them. When the prophet Isaiah writes chapter 49, he is looking ahead to the time of the exile and return from exile. Jersualem, his city, could soon be destroyed. It would look as if God had forsaken and forgotten.

So how does the LORD reply? What is the answer to this charge of forgetfulness on God's part?

Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me. (Isaiah 49:15-16)

The Lord had them inscribed or engraved on his hands. Similarly, when we ask if the Lord Jesus could ever forget us or forsake us, we're brought to the same reassurance - the palms of his hands bear the engraving of his love for us. Those wounds of love are a permanent sign of his unchanging love for us.

Amazingly and wonderfully, the resurrection body of Jesus continues to bear those scars. Those marks of sacrifice are our comfort; the wounds of the cross are for our joy and peace. I will never leave you nor forsake you, declares the Lord (Heb 13:5)

The Way of the Cross (29)

It has often been said that the prophet Isaiah could be counted as the fifth evangelist - his prophecy is, in places, so very clear in describing the person and work of the Lord Jesus that it's as if it's another Gospel account. As we've already seen, and will continue to see for a few more days, the foretelling of the passion is fairly detailed. But it's not just the passion we're focusing on in these days of Lent, leading up to Easter. We're also seeing the prediction of new life, the promise of resurrection in Jesus.

As we come to Isaiah 25, the prophet portrays a great feast on 'this mountain.' The mountain he's talking about is Jerusalem, the city on the mountain. There's mention of rich food and well-aged wine, but of particular interest is what the LORD himself swallows at the feast:

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the LORD God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation." (Isaiah 25:6-9)

The Lord swallows up the covering, the veil that covers all people - the covering of death. Death is swallowed up in victory, as the immortal one dies - the grave cannot hold him, death cannot swallow him.

So on that mountain of the Lord, the hill of Jerusalem, death is swallowed up and defeated. Jesus has won the victory, life is his to give, so that all tears are dried up and wiped away. Here's another reason to join in another of Isaiah's salvation songs - let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation!

The Way of the Cross (28)

In the very first verse of Isaiah's prophecy, we're given the list of kings who were reigning while he was prophesying. Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Some good, some bad, none great. Throughout, he looks forward to the coming of a new king, the promised king. A new king in David's line who will be different:

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit...
In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples - of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:1,10)

This coming king will be the signal, and all God's people will come to him. Those in exile, those from the four corners of the earth, those who are far off; all will come near and dwell in safety. Never more will there be hurt or harm on all God's holy mountain. And on that day, there will be a new song:

You will say in that day:
I will give thank to you, O LORD,
for though you were angry with me,
your anger turned away,
that you might comfort me.
Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the LORD God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day:
Give thanks to the LORD,
call upon his name,
make known his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;
let this be made known in all the earth.
Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 12:1-6)

This salvation has been won for us, we can sing this great song through the Lord Jesus, the root of David, lifted high as the signal of salvation. Through him, the exiles are returning, and God's people are being gathered together from all the nations, to live in the new heavens and the new earth where righteousness dwells.