Scripture: Isaiah 11 and 12

I. You have hope of a coming king.

A. Who is this branch of vs. 1 who would bear fruit? Jesus. He is a shoot from the stump of Jesse, King David’s father. God had made a great promise to King David in 2 Samuel 7:12-13: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

B. Jesus would be anointed with the Holy Spirit (vs. 2). What gifts would Jesus have as king because He was filled with the Spirit? Verses 2-5 say Jesus would have the gifts of wisdom, power, reverence for God, faithfulness and righteousness. In short, Jesus would be the perfect king. And Jesus would come not just as Judah’s king. He would come to fight for Judah as a warrior (vs. 4-5).

II. You have hope of a curse reversed.

A. Jesus would bring with him a kingdom that would restore and secure the harmony of the Garden of Eden, before Adam and Eve and all of humanity fell into sin. In Isaiah 11:6 we see that Jesus will bring peace to all of creation – even animals. Jesus would come as the new Adam. In Genesis 1:28 God had commanded the first Adam to be fruitful, to fill the earth and subdue it and to rule over the animals. Jesus the King is now putting that mandate back on track.

B. God is angry with humans because of our sin and rebellion against Him (Isa. 12:1). But God’s anger has turned away from His people. The angry God has become your Savior. The curse has been reversed! How? At the cross, God’s anger and God’s judgment fell on Jesus for your sin. And when you trust that Jesus died for your sins, you can sing with God’s people the words of Isa. 12:2: “Behold, God is my salvation.”

III. You have hope of a cosmic joy and peace.

A. There was hope for the whole world in Isaiah’s message. In Isa. 11:10, the prophet says that “in that day, the root of Jesse (King Jesus), who shall stand as a signal for the peoples – of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.” People then from every nation, all the nations listed in Isa. 11:11, will rally around the flag of King Jesus. Who are we making God’s great deeds of salvation known among? The peoples (Isa. 12:4). We learn in Isa. 12 that worship is mission and mission is worship. Worship leads to you telling other people about Jesus.

Application:
Let us live then with faith not fear, with hope not despair, with trust in God and not in man.  

Sources:
The Bible
Commentaries by J.A. Motyer, Tim Chester, Derek Thomas and David Jackman.

Sermon Discussion Questions

1) How does the description of the Branch in Isaiah 11 focus our hope? What are the characteristics of the Branch and how are they true of Jesus?

2) In what ways does the rule of Jesus reverse the curse of the Fall of Adam and Eve? How and where does God’s anger get removed from humanity?

3)  What will the worship of Jesus necessarily lead to? What can Jesus do for all those who feel like they are living in exile?