WEBVTT 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:02.160 Chapter 59. 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:03.759 Chapter 59. 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:11.839 If you don't have a Bible, you can go to page 650, right in that area, you'll find uh just about where we're at in Isaiah. 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:26.079 Sometimes when we look around our world today, we often are brought to wonder where justice and truth are. 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:46.079 We see as we engage in social media and the news and uh even interact with others in our neighborhood, and sometimes even in our own families, we see dishonesty rewarded, we see righteousness mocked, we see those who resist evil having to suffer for it. 00:00:47.359 --> 00:00:53.280 And the chapter that we're going to look at in Isaiah 59 addresses all of those things directly. 00:00:53.759 --> 00:01:10.879 Last week, uh, for those of you that were able to come in the storm, and those of you that watched online, you heard uh Pastor Micah talking about Isaiah 59 in its early verses, as it talked about these things and said that this is not just Israel's problem, it's a worldwide problem. 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:22.400 And God starts this chapter by saying that the problem is not about his weakness, and the problem is not about his arm being too short to save and his ear being deaf. 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:25.760 It is about us, and it is about our sin. 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:29.439 And he goes on to talk about the devastation of sin. 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:37.439 It separates us from him, it corrupts our lives, and it does bring devastation to our communities. 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:41.680 And the verse we'll begin with is verse 14 of this chapter. 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:47.599 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off. 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:54.719 For truth is stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. 00:01:56.159 --> 00:02:01.680 I don't know if I could find a more apt description of our generation than that one. 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:07.680 Because our world is exactly like what Isaiah is saying his world was like. 00:02:55.759 --> 00:03:00.719 The Senate started an investigation, and eventually the truth was uncovered. 00:03:00.879 --> 00:03:11.439 And the nation realized that one of its top officials had actually taken public trust and used it for personal gain. 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:13.840 And the fallout was historic. 00:03:14.560 --> 00:03:20.879 The Secretary of the Interior, Fall was the first member of the U.S. 00:03:21.039 --> 00:03:23.840 cabinet to actually go to prison. 00:03:24.639 --> 00:03:28.240 The public confidence in government was shattered at the time. 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:37.599 And until Watergate, the teapot dome scandal was the most salacious thing that had ever happened in our government. 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:43.919 And at that moment, people were asking, where is justice? 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:46.080 Where is truth? 00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:52.000 And Isaiah's words resonated then, and they resonate now. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:56.560 Justice is turned back, righteousness stands far off. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:06.560 That indictment could mark out our country and every other country around the world today. 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:14.400 Because in ours and in theirs, we see corruption, we see violence, we see falsehood, we see injustice. 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:16.720 It's all over the headlines. 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:19.839 And we feel it in our neighborhoods. 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:23.519 And if we're honest, we'll even feel it in our own hearts. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:30.319 But Isaiah 59 also tells us that there's hope. 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:40.079 There's good news here, that all is not hopeless, that God will intervene, that when no one else can save, God does. 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:45.839 And when human strength falls, the arm of the Lord will come and bring salvation. 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:48.240 And so that's where we're going to go today. 00:04:48.399 --> 00:04:54.319 And as we look at the rest of Isaiah chapter 59, I just want to break it into two sections. 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:58.240 Sin devastates, but God delivers. 00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:01.920 Sin devastates, but God delivers. 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:06.000 And so let's look at that first one in verses 14 and 15. 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:08.560 Let's read those two verses together. 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:17.279 Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far off, for truth is stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter. 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:22.879 Truth is missing, and whoever turns from evil is plundered. 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:24.800 Wow. 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:29.040 Isaiah doesn't sugarcoat this at all. 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:33.600 He does not play tiddlywinks with the truth. 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:43.360 Justice is collapsed, truth is stumbled, honesty can't enter, those who turn from evil themselves are plundered. 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:51.920 What a horrible indictment against the human race. 00:05:52.879 --> 00:06:01.040 Last week, Micah brought us into what was bringing Isaiah to this summary judgment against humanity. 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:08.800 And in verses one and two of Isaiah 59, he reminds us that the problem is not God's weakness, it's our sin. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:20.079 And he paints this picture in verses three to eight with hands defiled with blood and lips speaking lies and feet rushing to shed innocent blood. 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:28.639 And we can look at almost every portion of the human body and find some connection to just how corrupt we are. 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:38.560 Paul later quotes those verses in Romans chapter 3 to prove the point that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:46.560 And then verses 9 to 13, the people themselves confess we hope for light. 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:51.040 We hope for light, but there's nothing but darkness. 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:54.879 We grope along a wall as if blind. 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:11.920 Justice is gone, truth is missing, honesty is shut out. 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:14.319 Now, doesn't that sound familiar to you? 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:17.759 Sounds familiar to me. 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:30.800 These statements that truth is twisted, righteousness is pushed aside, those who try to stand for right in the public square are mocked or marginalized, certainly sounds like our day. 00:07:31.839 --> 00:07:36.480 Where lies spread faster than truth and honesty is shut out. 00:07:36.800 --> 00:07:44.560 And those who are whistleblowers or reformers are simply people who want to stand for what is right, don't get a hearing. 00:07:44.879 --> 00:07:49.920 Or if they do, it's simply one of derision in response. 00:07:51.680 --> 00:07:55.439 Think about some of our headlines, just right here in New York City. 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:58.399 In fact, I think it was last month. 00:08:12.800 --> 00:08:24.079 70 workers in the Housing Authority had been demanding kickbacks from contractors in order to give them the contracts to work. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:34.799 And they received over$2 million in bribes, and$15 million of contracts were steered because of those bribes. 00:08:36.080 --> 00:08:37.840 What was the result of that? 00:08:38.159 --> 00:08:52.159 People who were living in government housing were left in unsafe, deteriorating conditions, while the money that was meant for the repair of their domicile had been siphoned off by greed. 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:58.559 Isaiah's words ringing true. 00:08:58.960 --> 00:09:00.720 Right in our neighborhood. 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:04.559 Justice turned back, righteousness standing far off. 00:09:07.519 --> 00:09:13.679 Or think about that case uh not too many years ago in Texas, the affluenza case. 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:15.440 You remember the affluenza case? 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:22.559 Ethan Couch, a teenager who killed four people while driving drunk, and then was just simply given probation? 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:37.279 And he made the argument that he was actually too wealthy to know right from wrong, and the judge said, okay, while four people and four families were devastated. 00:09:38.720 --> 00:09:44.879 And it was only after repeatedly violating his probation that this man was put in prison. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:49.120 Truth is indeed stumbled. 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:55.759 But here's the pivot that we need to hear for ourselves. 00:09:57.200 --> 00:09:58.559 Take a look at verse 16. 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:03.200 We'll talk more about it in a second, but we need to feel this. 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:05.679 He saw there was no man. 00:10:06.559 --> 00:10:11.120 He was amazed that there was no one interceding. 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:19.039 You see, Isaiah's words don't just describe a broken system, they describe broken hearts. 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:22.879 And that is the case for all of us. 00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:25.200 Down to a person. 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:46.080 It's easy for us to get riled up and to be indignant about the corruption in government, or to feel the pain of violence in our community, or falsehood in social media, or injustice in the courts. 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:50.320 But if we stop there, we're missing the truth of the chapter. 00:10:51.200 --> 00:11:01.840 Because the same sin that lies in government and communities and social media and the courts, it rests right here, right within every single one of us. 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:13.600 And this is why Paul in Romans chapter 7 said, Oh, wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? 00:11:15.519 --> 00:11:19.759 He wasn't just being rhetorical, he was being honest. 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:27.360 You see, and it's not just Paul's confession, it really ought to be ours. 00:11:29.360 --> 00:11:39.840 Now, we may not take bribes or sit in a courtroom, but we know how to shade truth when it honesty would cost us. 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:46.240 We know how to harbor resentment when forgiveness feels too hard to offer. 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:52.480 We know how to indulge selfishness when sacrifice is a step too far. 00:11:54.639 --> 00:12:04.559 The collapse of justice in society, the collapse of justice in the courts, the collapse is all about a collapse of righteousness in our own hearts. 00:12:07.039 --> 00:12:12.159 And Isaiah's indictment is not about them, it's about us. 00:12:14.399 --> 00:12:25.519 And if sin devastates communities, and if sin is found in places like the government and the courts, believe you me, it's also found in churches. 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:49.279 And one thing I've learned over the years as a pastor is that most of the broken marriages and fractured friendships and estranged children and split churches are not the results of big sins out there, but of everyday selfishness and dishonesty right here. 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:03.200 How often I've sat with couples who want to mend their marriage so they think. 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:38.720 Because the more you do this, the less you're going to be together. 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:59.120 Paul's cry, who shall save me from this body of death, is a good cry because it shows you finally understood the depth of need that we have. 00:14:00.639 --> 00:14:08.080 That our best efforts fail, that our resolutions crumble, that our strength is not a match. 00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:12.879 And deep within us is something that needs fixed. 00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:17.039 And Isaiah wants us to feel that. 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:32.799 And it's sin that devastates us. 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:36.399 But this is the wonderful turning point of this passage. 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:39.200 Because Isaiah doesn't leave us in despair. 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:46.000 And I felt bad listening to Micah preach on the early part of Isaiah because he's like, hope's gonna come. 00:14:46.080 --> 00:14:47.279 Come back next week, please. 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:48.159 You're gonna hear it. 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:52.240 And I thought I left him no good thing to say. 00:14:54.240 --> 00:14:58.240 And honestly, it wasn't selfish on my part just to take it all. 00:14:59.279 --> 00:15:01.279 I really should have brought you into that. 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:06.559 But here it is: sin devastates, but God delivers. 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:08.240 God delivers. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:17.440 And he shows us here, as we'll look look at this, that when no one else can rescue, God himself steps in. 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:24.080 And when human strength fails, God brings the strong arm of his salvation. 00:15:24.559 --> 00:15:32.720 And when justice is gone and truth is silenced, the Lord of righteousness rises to act. 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:37.200 And so let's look at this, the deliverance of God. 00:15:37.279 --> 00:15:42.159 And we'll start in verse 16 through 19 and see God's intervention. 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.919 He saw that there was no man. 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:49.519 He was amazed that there was no one interceding. 00:15:49.759 --> 00:15:53.360 So his arm brought salvation, and his own righteousness supported him. 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:58.000 He put on righteousness as body armor and a helmet of salvation on his head. 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:05.679 He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and he wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:09.679 Now, what beautiful picture this is. 00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:19.600 Before we get to that beautiful picture of God arming himself to deliver, let's see why he does again. 00:16:20.639 --> 00:16:25.519 The Lord saw there was no justice, and he was offended. 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:29.039 What a stark picture it is, this transition. 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:38.559 God surveying humanity and finding not a single soul standing in the gap. 00:16:38.960 --> 00:16:44.159 No one able to intercede, no one able to bring justice. 00:16:45.279 --> 00:16:52.639 The silence cast over the human race. 00:16:57.919 --> 00:16:59.519 No one's voice. 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:04.319 No one's voice crying for truth or righteousness. 00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:11.519 That same tension is found in a place that you might be familiar with. 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:27.440 We won't turn there, but in Revelation chapter 5, where John is caught up into a vision in heaven and he sees a scroll in God's hands, one with seven seals on it, the unfolding of God's plan. 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:29.680 And a search is made. 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:42.160 And here's what it reads: it says, A search is made in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and no one was found worthy to open the scroll. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:48.079 And as John contemplated that, he wept. 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:57.599 He wept because the story of God's unfolding plan seemed stalled, if not broken. 00:18:01.039 --> 00:18:08.160 And he lamented, just like Isaiah hears, speaking about the lamentation of God himself. 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:12.559 The crisis is the same. 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:16.079 No person is able. 00:18:16.799 --> 00:18:20.000 And the resolution, wonderfully, is the same. 00:18:20.319 --> 00:18:23.200 God himself redeems. 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:28.400 In Isaiah, his own arm brings salvation, is the phrase. 00:18:28.559 --> 00:18:35.680 In Revelation, it is the Lion of Judah, the lamb who was slain, who is worthy. 00:18:36.799 --> 00:18:38.960 And the connection is clear. 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:46.400 Isaiah is anticipating the Redeemer who is going to come because there's no one else who can intercede. 00:18:47.119 --> 00:18:57.920 And John speaks about the identity of that Redeemer, who is Christ Himself, who has come in human flesh to intercede. 00:18:59.359 --> 00:19:03.039 Where none of us could, Jesus does. 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:14.160 Where there is no one who could take or even touch the seals of the scroll, Jesus takes and opens and unveils the plan of God. 00:19:15.680 --> 00:19:24.000 And Isaiah continues, He put on righteousness as body armor, and a helmet of salvation on his head. 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:31.119 He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak. 00:19:32.079 --> 00:19:35.359 This is God clothing himself as a warrior. 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:44.400 Righteousness is armor, salvation his helmet, vengeance his garments, zeal his cloak. 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:53.039 Now, as Mark brought us into the reading in Ephesians 6, we see that the armor of God is something we are to wear. 00:19:53.599 --> 00:19:55.519 And what a wonderful privilege this is. 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:59.519 And if I if you just allow me a two minute aside with this. 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:04.799 Some years ago, I visited the Tower of London. 00:20:05.039 --> 00:20:10.160 And if you see the tall tower in the middle, that's called the White's Tower, and it's the armory. 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:13.680 It's where all the weaponry of the kings are held. 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:16.319 Not all of them, but they're on display, many of them. 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:30.160 And if you go to one particular floor and you'll see elevated up on some steps, and inside a clear, either glass or encased uh box is the armor of Henry the Eighth. 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:32.880 Now, Henry VIII was a big dude. 00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:40.720 And uh people you look at it and it's elevated above where everybody's standing, and you're thinking, well, that is imposing. 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:58.480 And you would see little children walking up there and kind of going, that what's wonderful about Ephesians 6 is that the very armor that our Savior wears to bring deliverance to us is the very armor he puts on us. 00:20:59.359 --> 00:21:09.440 And our savior, who was successful against the ways of the devil and even defeated the devil, has given us the wherewithal to stand in our day. 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:14.160 And we don't have to look at his armor and go, wow, that is too big for me. 00:21:14.799 --> 00:21:23.920 When we slip it on, it fits us, everyone, whether we're four foot ten or six, six foot three or seven foot one. 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:26.160 It fits us all. 00:21:27.759 --> 00:21:39.759 But here is the Lord coming, coming with with the weapons of war, coming as a galleot, fighting for his people. 00:21:40.799 --> 00:21:44.720 He is the one who fights, and he is the one who saves. 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:50.000 But let me say a word here. 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:58.960 This is both a word of warning and a word of welcome when he comes to intervene. 00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:02.160 Take a look at verse 18 for a second. 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:12.880 He will repay according to their deeds, fury to his enemies, retribution to his foes. 00:22:15.359 --> 00:22:18.960 God's justice is not sentimental. 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:28.079 It's holy and it's righteous and it's fierce against sin. 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:34.400 You see, the sword of the Lord cuts two ways. 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:41.440 It cuts down the enemies, and its cutting edge also delivers. 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:50.799 The same arm will come, striking down enemies with fury and retribution. 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:58.720 But that same arm brings salvation to those who turn from their transgressions. 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:08.799 And Isaiah is here showing us that when the Lord comes, when he comes to intervene, he will come to do two things. 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:13.680 He will bring the terror of judgment, but he will also bring the triumph of grace. 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:18.240 And so we find here two things to hear. 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:35.119 First is a sober warning that if any of us persist in sin, if any of us cling to injustice or refuse to turn from our unrighteousness, we are placing ourselves on the wrong side of God's activity. 00:23:36.240 --> 00:23:40.400 And he will wield that sword against us. 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:50.079 To continue in rebellion against him is to invite fury rather than mercy. 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:58.319 But it also tells us that the Lord will work. 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:01.039 Take a look at verse 19. 00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:09.839 They will fear the name of the Lord in the west and his glory in the east, for he will come like a rushing stream, driven by the wind of the Lord. 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:16.799 The Redeemer will come to Zion and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression. 00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:19.759 This is the Lord's declaration. 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:23.759 You see, there is deliverance in the Lord's coming. 00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:36.400 It's not just casting down the injustices, it is a saving of people who have found themselves also unjust and have begged for mercy. 00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:38.559 And he will redeem them. 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:55.759 And so in verse 20, we find not only does the Redeemer intervene, the Redeemer comes to save. 00:24:56.079 --> 00:24:59.279 And here we have hope, every one of us. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:12.000 Though the indictment of verse 14 lies there against all of us, justice turned back, righteousness standing far off, truth stumbling in the public square, honesty just devastated. 00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:19.279 And God looking at us and saying, There's no one, no one who can stand. 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:23.039 We now hear these words. 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:30.640 Now, this word redeemer is a rich, rich, rich word. 00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:36.000 It talks about covenant language of God fulfilling his promises. 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:37.359 And it carries over. 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:42.400 If you've ever read the book of Ruth, where it talks about a kinsman redeemer. 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:44.000 And what is that? 00:25:44.480 --> 00:26:00.160 It's about a person who steps in to help out a family member who's in distress and rescues their family member, who buys back what is lost and restores what is broken. 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:08.160 And Isaiah is saying here that he is going to come to humanity in that same vein. 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:12.559 He's going to come and he's going to be that redeemer. 00:26:12.799 --> 00:26:18.960 He's going to come to the people and he's going to buy back what is lost. 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:22.160 He's going to restore what is broken. 00:26:22.400 --> 00:26:27.519 He's going to help those who are unable to help themselves. 00:26:30.400 --> 00:26:34.880 Paul quotes this verse in Romans chapter 11. 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:44.160 The deliverer will come from Zion and will turn godlessness away from Judah. 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:55.279 There's a lot to say about that verse, but one thing we can say without any equivocation or uncertainty at all is that Redeemer is Jesus. 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:57.279 That Redeemer is Jesus. 00:27:00.720 --> 00:27:02.400 We're here at Christmas. 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:04.799 You're like, what does this got to do with Christmas? 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:07.119 It has everything to do with Christmas. 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:10.079 Literally everything to do with Christmas. 00:27:10.640 --> 00:27:17.039 In Luke chapter 2, Simeon is holding this little infant child. 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:24.400 And he says, My eyes have seen your salvation. 00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:36.480 In that moment, Isaiah 5920 was being lived out in real time. 00:27:39.279 --> 00:27:45.759 Because the strong arm of the Lord had just showed up on earth. 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:50.319 And it was a baby. 00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:05.519 Born in Bethlehem, laid in a manger, announced to the shepherds by the angels. 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:20.480 And on that night, God didn't send one of his mighty angels blazing in glorious brightness, luminescent, with vengeance in his arms. 00:28:22.319 --> 00:28:27.359 God sent his own arm to deliver. 00:28:28.400 --> 00:28:32.160 And he gave the human race a child. 00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:34.480 A child. 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:47.119 Why? 00:28:48.880 --> 00:29:06.799 God looks down from the eternal heavens upon humanity and all of its history and says, no one, no one, not a single human alive ever could deliver or intercede. 00:29:08.079 --> 00:29:12.480 And so God Himself becomes human. 00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:15.440 So that there would be one. 00:29:16.400 --> 00:29:20.480 So that there would be a human who would intercede. 00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:24.559 So that there would be a human who would deliver. 00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:31.839 So that he might bring us all away from the one who holds the fear of death. 00:29:32.079 --> 00:29:33.599 That is the devil. 00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:40.720 That he might deliver us from the destruction that brings us to that fear by way of our own sin. 00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:54.000 You see, Isaiah 59, you may not see it plastered in the Christian bookstores and in Christmas regalia, but it's a Christmas prophecy nonetheless. 00:29:56.400 --> 00:30:06.319 God Himself has come, not with armor and vengeance this time, but with swaddling cloths and humility. 00:30:08.400 --> 00:30:15.680 Because what he wants to do is destroy the pride of men with the humility of God. 00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:23.440 He wants us to recognize that our salvation is not found in power and strength and might. 00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:28.079 It is not exercised in rule and dominion and authority. 00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:36.240 It is only found at the foot of the cross, where all of us must go to receive forgiveness. 00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:48.400 All of us must cast ourselves with utter humility at the very feet of God and say, I don't deserve anything from you but judgment. 00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:50.640 Please save me. 00:30:53.359 --> 00:30:55.759 And here the baby in the manger has come. 00:30:56.559 --> 00:31:02.640 The decisive moment has arrived where the prophecy of Isaiah is true. 00:31:04.400 --> 00:31:10.000 But Christmas is not just about looking back, Christmas is about looking forward. 00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:20.880 You see, Christmas is as much about the cross as it is the manger, but it's also as much about the second coming as it was the manger. 00:31:21.359 --> 00:31:34.240 And the next time this Jesus comes, oh, he does come, riding on a white horse, bearing a sword, and bringing all enemies under his feet. 00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:42.000 The incarnation is the beginning of God's intervention, but it is not the end of it. 00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:46.720 And all of the warnings of Isaiah 59, stand true still. 00:31:47.920 --> 00:31:54.240 He will bring down those who are still considered his enemies and foes. 00:31:58.880 --> 00:32:01.839 We live in a world that longs for redemption. 00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:06.000 But we're looking for it in all the wrong places. 00:32:06.960 --> 00:32:13.599 We think it can be found in if we just get the right people positioned in politics and in places of leadership. 00:32:13.759 --> 00:32:22.240 If we could if we could just get our person situated there or there or everywhere, then things will be better. 00:32:22.559 --> 00:32:24.079 No, they won't. 00:32:26.400 --> 00:32:28.480 Or maybe technology will help us. 00:32:28.640 --> 00:32:32.160 Or maybe if it's just self-help lectures, that'll help us. 00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:34.400 Or maybe it's social movements. 00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:36.240 None of them. 00:32:37.039 --> 00:32:38.000 None of them. 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:40.880 None of them. 00:32:41.680 --> 00:32:44.000 This is why Christmas matters. 00:32:44.880 --> 00:32:47.279 Because the answer is here. 00:32:48.480 --> 00:32:54.559 When the baby arrives, his own arm has brought salvation. 00:32:57.599 --> 00:33:04.160 The manger is more than just a quaint scene on a beautiful Christmas card. 00:33:05.039 --> 00:33:09.920 It is the entrance of the strong arm of God to save. 00:33:11.440 --> 00:33:19.440 And that little child born in Bethlehem is opening up a message to all humanity. 00:33:19.759 --> 00:33:21.119 Turn and live. 00:33:21.599 --> 00:33:23.039 Turn and live. 00:33:24.079 --> 00:33:26.559 Recognize your doom. 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:29.519 Recognize the disaster of sin. 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.079 Recognize the awful plight if you continue. 00:33:34.799 --> 00:33:36.319 Turn and live. 00:33:37.680 --> 00:33:44.880 The Redeemer will come to Zion and to those in Jacob who turn from their transgression. 00:33:47.759 --> 00:33:56.720 Christmas is God saying, I see the collapse of justice in all humanity, and I will bring righteousness. 00:33:57.119 --> 00:34:05.759 Christmas is, I see truth silenced, but he who is the way, the truth, and the life has come. 00:34:06.960 --> 00:34:17.199 I see honesty shut out, but I'll raise up the one who would be able to speak to his generation and say, which one of you can convince me of sin? 00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:25.760 Simeon held that little baby and said, My eyes have seen your salvation. 00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:29.039 That's Christmas. 00:34:29.280 --> 00:34:32.480 That's Isaiah 59 in real life. 00:34:32.719 --> 00:34:34.719 And it's still here today. 00:34:35.760 --> 00:34:41.599 God's salvation is visible, it's tangible, and it's present even in this moment. 00:34:42.159 --> 00:34:54.480 And if you're here this morning and you don't know Christ is your Savior, God has come to save people just like you, because we are all like each other. 00:34:56.000 --> 00:34:59.199 There's not one of us who can stand and intercede. 00:34:59.599 --> 00:35:06.800 There's none of us who speak of righteousness that can prevail for ourselves, even, let alone others. 00:35:07.599 --> 00:35:17.599 But if you turn from your transgression to the Redeemer who's come, the invitation is clear, and the invitation is welcoming. 00:35:19.119 --> 00:35:20.639 Turn and live. 00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:43.280 And if you're here this morning and you've felt the oppression of sin that others have cast against you, even while being a believer, your Lord has come to rescue his people, and he will rescue you to the uttermost. 00:35:44.000 --> 00:36:01.119 He will bring you into the vindication of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who stood over all enemies, seen and unseen, and you will enter into the glory of that victory. 00:36:01.760 --> 00:36:06.800 Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:36:08.639 --> 00:36:11.840 Christmas is a beautiful time of year. 00:36:12.079 --> 00:36:24.480 It's filled with vibrant colors and fun festivities and family reunions, joyous song, bright lights, but at the core of it all is the reason to celebrate. 00:36:24.800 --> 00:36:28.320 God has intervened, and he still does. 00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:30.400 And so we rejoice. 00:36:31.840 --> 00:36:33.199 Let's pray. 00:36:36.239 --> 00:37:02.639 Father, it is with great joy to know that you've come, even offended in the knowledge that we are unable and unwilling to be truthful and righteous, that you have come to turn us from sin and to bring us a redeemer, so that we might rejoice that you have stepped into safe. 00:37:03.920 --> 00:37:19.760 And Father, I pray that as we come closer and closer to the day of celebration of the birth of Christ, that we will become come into a greater degree of understanding of the reality of why he did. 00:37:22.079 --> 00:37:33.039 May we understand that your intervention, this strong arm of the Lord, has come to deliver, but also come to destroy evil. 00:37:33.760 --> 00:37:44.880 And so, Lord, may we with humility receive the offer of deliverance and not stand on the wrong side when you come to destroy evil. 00:37:45.360 --> 00:37:47.599 And we pray this in Christ's name. 00:37:47.920 --> 00:37:48.559 Amen.