Our Lord Jesus is the Righteous Branch. Isaiah explains what His ministry will achieve
Isaiah 11: The Righteous Reign of the Branch
1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
9 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
10 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.
11 In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
12 He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
13 The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14 But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west, and together they shall plunder the people of the east. They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites shall obey them.
15 And the LORD will utterly destroy the tongue of the Sea of Egypt, and will wave his hand over the River with his scorching breath, and strike it into seven channels, and he will lead people across in sandals.
16 And there will be a highway from Assyria for the remnant that remains of his people, as there was for Israel when they came up from the land of Egypt.
Isaiah 12: The LORD Is My Strength and My Song
1 You will say in that day: "I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.
2 "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."
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
4 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.
5 "Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth.
6 Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."
Things to think about…
1. The “Shoot from the stump of Jesse”, Isa 11:1 is misinterpreted as David by the Jews. The Branch is mentioned here again. This Branch refers to David’s greater Son - Yeshua, Jesus. Jesus confirmed this when He said to the Jews “If David then calls Him Lord, how can He by his son”, Mt 22:45. Our Lord raises a good point.
2. In Isaiah 11:2 the word “Spirit” is used 4 times. The Holy Spirit directed the heart and mind of Christ in His earthly ministry. We often assume that because He was the God man that the Holy Spirit is not able to direct us in the same way. This is not the case. Indeed our Lord said that we have the Spirit, the Helper John 14:26. We are blessed with the Holy Spirit after Pentecost in Acts 2. This is how we are to do the “even greater things” that our Lord spoke about, John 14:12.
3. Our Lord does not judge by mere outward appearances, Isa 11:3,4. He judges with righteousness. May we do the same. Hence our need for the discernment and wisdom of the Spirit.
4. “Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist”, Isa 11:5, we know David struggled with this concept at times, but Jesus had it as a title – “The LORD our Righteousness”, Jer 23:6. Through Christ we have the righteousness of God, 2Cor 5:21.
5. The rest of Isa 11 from verse 6 onward “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb…” describes a scene that has only been seen in the Garden of Eden and not seen since. I don’t believe Isaiah is describing something allegorical but is a literal description of what will be on this earth. This period is referring to Christ’s literal reign on the earth from Jerusalem in the millennial reign. This will be before the new heavens and new earth.
6. Note that the “second time” of deliverance refers to a final gathering in of the Jews out of the nations of the world back to Israel. This has steadily been happening since Israel was re-established as a nation in 1948. The nations surrounding Israel and the enemies will either be destroyed or join Israel and bring the Lord glory in this period of renewal, Isa 11:11-16
7. Isaiah 11:12ff is happening in our day. The Jews are returning to Israel, “from the four corners of the earth”, vs 12. Note that Israel will be a united land. It will not be divided on the east or the west. The two-state solution is refuted here and in other places in the OT. It is not a biblical concept and so as Christians our prayer should still be “your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”, Mt 6:10. This encompasses the gospel primarily going to ever soul on the earth, but also a fulfillment of OT prophecy regarding the land of Israel.
8. I believe Isaiah 12 is describing what the Apostle Paul outlines in Romans 11:26 where he says “all Israel will be saved”. While this will be a turbulent time for Israel the ultimate end is peace with the earthly reign of Christ from Jerusalem. But this should be Christ’s ministry among us now. As Isaiah says “let this be made known among all the earth” Isa 12:5.
9. The focus of praise is by the Jews, “O inhabitant of Zion”, Isa 12:6, towards the Holy One of Israel. This is Yeshua, Jesus. The Jews will finally look upon the One whom they have pierced and mourn, repent and submit to His lordship over the nation. Please continue to pray for One for Israel and the gospel to go out to Abraham’s seed.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. Ric Benson will be looking at the life of Christ in the church.
Pastor Jay has started the young adult’s life group after Sunday mornings café time. Open discussion around difficult topics and defending our faith is the focus.
Prayer Points
1. Tad and Glenys still recovering from operations.
2. New people that they are welcomed into church life.
3. Those who are considering baptism.
4. Church finances to cover all expenses.
5. Pray for of Kids@Church, Life groups and church community days.
6. The conflicts in Haiti, Israel and Ukraine. Praise for the peace of Jesus to reign.
7. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Monday afternoons. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
8. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
9. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. More visitors on Sunday, pray that they are encouraged.
2. Continue to pray for Tad to gain strength at home. Continue to pray for Glenys as she now has a splint to gain full use in her left arm. This is very frustrating for Glenys as you can imagine. It has been many weeks and she is desiring relief. Any encouragement you can give will be greatly appreciated.
3. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Working Bee – Saturday March 23rd 8am to 12pm. Please sign the jobs task sheet.
2. Life Groups Wednesday night at Church – 6:30pm.
3. Young Adults apologetics Life group after the service – 25th Feb 2024.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for March...
Q. 18. What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies? A. He gave them souls that could never die.
