Sermon Central
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Isaiah 40-55
Contributed by Garrett Tyson on Jan 24, 2024 (message contributor)
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1. The Return Of Our God (Isaiah 40:1-11)
Contributed on Jan 24, 2024
God calls on his divine council (simplified: angels) to build a road for Him, because He is very shortly returning to Jerusalem, leading/carrying his exiled people. All Israel is invited to keep their eyes open for God's return.
Last week, I introduced a new series we are beginning that covers Isaiah 40-55. If you missed last week, I think today will still mostly make sense, but you might want to get a copy of last week's sermon from me. Today, then, we are just going to dive in to Isaiah 40. This chapter opens by ...read more
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2. Questions That Need An Answer (Isaiah 40:12-31)
Contributed on Mar 7, 2024
The questions push people to believe what they know: God is great; problems (and human empires like Babylon) are small.
Our passage today is built around a series of questions. You might find these questions comically easy to answer. Parts of this might feel a bit like Sunday school when you were very little. But work with me this morning. Multiple times, I'm going to ask you the question the prophet asks. ...read more
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3. God Takes The Nations/Idols To Court (Isaiah 41:1-29)
Contributed on Mar 18, 2024
God makes his case that He, not idols, are running the world. Mystery dude from the east, is God's servant sent to bring his people home.
In my introduction to Isaiah 40-55, I talked about how one of the challenges to teaching on this part of the Bible, is that these chapters divide up into bigger chunks of material than we can comfortably handle all at once. And honestly, I find that kind of stressful. I can feel myself getting ...read more
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4. God's Servant, The Justice-Bringer (Isaiah 42:1-9)
Contributed on Mar 28, 2024
God commissions and empowers his servant to produce "justice" for the nations. "Justice" here= "God's desired way of life." It's done, through gentle, careful teaching. The servant is Israel, Jesus, and the church.
This is going to be a pretty ambitious sermon today, so let's dive right in. Isaiah 42:1: (1) LOOK! My servant, [Isaiah 41:8, 9; 34:10; 44:1, 2; 45:4], I am upholding him, [Isaiah 41:10] my chosen one [Isaiah 41:8, 9; 43:10; 44:1, 2; 45:4], my soul/inner being has delighted in [or: ...read more
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5. When God Forces Himself To Not Help (Isaiah 42:10-17)
Contributed on Apr 17, 2024
We can choose to live in a way where God will restrain himself, and resist the urge to help his people. God describes himself as a woman in labor, who has been fighting the urge to push.
Imagine today that the prophet of Isaiah 40-55 stands up in the midst of God's exiled people in Babylon, and he gives them a new word from God. He speaks out in a loud, clear voice. And this is what he says, verses 12-13: (10) Sing to Yahweh a new song; his praise from the end of the earth, ...read more
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6. It's Not Too Late To Learn From God's Judgments On You (Isaiah 42:18-43:7)
Contributed on May 14, 2024
When we live in rebellion, and life falls apart, sometimes it's because that's God's judgment. 2+2 sometimes equals 4. God wants us to learn from his judgments.
Imagine, if you will, a married couple having an argument. One spouse accuses the other of being difficult, or pig-headed, or lazy, or unreasonable, or something. Some harsh words are said by one party. The spouse on the receiving end of it looks at the other, and says, "Hey, wait. ...read more
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7. Bring Out A Blind And Deaf People! (Isaiah 43:8-15)
Contributed on May 17, 2024
God's (exilic) people are currently blind and deaf, which makes it hard for them to be good servants. God encourages them to change that-- to "acknowledge" and "trust" Him, and understand that God is He Who Remains.
My daughter is wrapping up a in interesting class right now on how to be an effective teacher for students with special needs. There are students who are disruptive. There are kids who struggle to focus, and learn. There are also kids who have disabilities, of one type or another. With these ...read more
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8. See God's New Thing! (Isaiah 43:16-21)
Contributed on Jun 6, 2024
There are helpful and unhelpful ways to think about the past, and about God's past acts of salvation. God encourages his people to stop thinking about the exodus, and see his new act of salvation.
I'd like to start today by setting you up, so to speak, and reminding you about your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God proved his love for the world, and his affection, and his faithfulness, by sending Jesus to earth. Jesus, as King, ushered in God's kingdom onto earth. Jesus came to ...read more
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9. Tired Of God? (Isaiah 43:22-28; 44:1-5)
Contributed on Jun 13, 2024
God's exiled people are tired of Him. God pushes back, and asks how exactly that's possible, and says He's the one who is tired by their burdens. Nevertheless, a better future awaits them.
One of the most common questions that any human being can ask another, is this: "How are you doing?" And in my circles, there are a few really common answers to this: "I'm fine. I'm alright. I'm really busy." There's also one more: "I'm ...read more
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10. No Need For Idols (Isaiah 44:6-23)
Contributed on Jul 2, 2024
Idols are appealing when we become afraid. If we're unsure about God, we go elsewhere. God through his prophet says, "No need for idols. I will help." Yahweh is a far better choice than any idol.
Today we pick back up in our Isaiah series today in Isaiah 44:6. It's kind of a big passage and a big message so I just want to dive right in. Let's start by reading just the first verse, Isaiah 44:6: (6) Thus has said Yahweh, King of Israel, and its Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies: ...read more
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11. Praise God When His Help Comes (Isaiah 44:24-28; 45:1-8]
Contributed on Jul 6, 2024
God sometimes helps us through people we don't like, using means we don't like, to the point we doubt it's actually from God. See God's help, and thank him, regardless of how it comes.
There is a short list of people in the church who are responsible for proclaiming a message from God to his people. Apostles, teachers, prophets, and evangelists, basically. That's the list. Now, sometimes the specific word from God that needs to be communicated is controversial. If ...read more
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12. Should We Ask God Tough Questions, Or Not? (Isaiah 45:9-25)
Contributed on Jul 16, 2024
Some Christians think it's ok; others would never dare. Can questions make God angry, and put us in danger? Or does God welcome the questions?
I'd like to start today by reading the first five verses of our passage, using the NET translation. As I read, just try to think about one thing: Is it okay to challenge God, or to ask God questions about what He's doing? Isaiah 45:9-13 (NET): 9 One who argues with his Creator is in ...read more
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13. Carry, Or Be Carried? (Isaiah 46:1-13)
Contributed on Jul 26, 2024
God has always, and will always carry you. The alternatives-- idols-- can't carry you; they will bleed you financially, and weigh you down, and you'll carry them. God encourages his people to be smart, and choose Him.
By the time they've reached high school, every straight A student knows that there's one type of assignment, above all others, that's difficult and annoying: the group project. When you get put in a group of three or four students, inevitably, one of two things happens. You either ...read more
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14. Lady Babylon, Brought Low By God (Isaiah 47:1-15)
Contributed on Aug 10, 2024
God promises He will soon take vengeance on Lady Babylon, stripping her of everything, because of how she mistreated His people. This promise gives hope, and it helps people not be overly impressed by her.
At the start of many movies and TV shows, there's a disclaimer. Portions of this program may be offensive. They bother particular kinds of viewers. And this program isn't necessarily in line with the network which hosts it. This is the kind of sermon that probably needs lots of ...read more
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15. Listen, To Receive God's Best (Isaiah 48:1-22)
Contributed on Sep 5, 2024
God's people have failed to listen once, and missed God's best. God here gives them a second chance, letting them know He's not angry despite their idolatry.
One of the hardest things to do in the entire world, is to listen when someone gives you good advice. Listening requires a lot from you. It requires an openness to unpleasant possibilities-- the possibility that you're wrong, that you don't know everything, that someone else knows more ...read more
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16. What Is Holiness? (Leviticus 19-20)
Contributed on Aug 27, 2024
Holiness is a common, fuzzy word. But basically it comes to the idea of "dedication." God is dedicated to his people; God expects them to mirror Him, and be dedicated to Him the same way.
Today, we are going to rabbit trail for just a week, and talk about holiness. One of the hardest things to explain in the entire Bible, in my opinion, is the idea of holiness. The Bible often tells us that God is holy, and when the Bible tells us this, it tends to be in very serious, weighty ...read more
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17. God's Servant, The Solution To Stubbornness And Rebellion (Isaiah 49:1-6)
Contributed on Sep 11, 2024
God's prophet feels he's served for nothing; it's all been a waste, and meaningless. God responds by giving him a global ministry. An encouragement to pastors, and teachers, and volunteers, in particular.
If you're seeking to understand Isaiah 40-55, and make sure you get it right, today's passage is absolutely the most important in this entire part of the book. Everything builds up to Isaiah 49, and everything that follows, builds off of it. There are many approaches to these chapters as ...read more
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18. Jesus, Filling Up Israel's Gaps (Isaiah 7)
Contributed on Oct 9, 2024
Builds off Brandon D. Crowe's article "Fulfillment in Matthew as Eschatological Reversal." Broadening people's perspectives on how the NT "fulfills" the OT.
Today marks an expected rabbit trail off our rabbit trail. I'm going to try to introduce you to one of the most complicated subjects in all of biblical study-- the way the NT uses the OT. And then next week, we will inch our way back closer to the rabbit trail I'd planned on taking. ...read more
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19. The Servant Of Isaiah 49 In Luke-Acts
Contributed on Oct 19, 2024
Part 2 of a rabbit trail exploring how the servant's calling is picked up not just by Jesus, but also by Ananias, Paul and Barnabas, in Acts. We are all to be lights, and "salvation," up to the ends of the earth.
Two weeks ago, we worked our way through Isaiah 49:1-6. When I taught on it, I said that these are the words of God's exilic prophet. The prophet feels like his ministry has been a waste of his time and energy. It's accomplished nothing. And God responds to him, not by arguing with him, ...read more
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20. God, The Good Shepherd, Will Bring You Home (Isaiah 49:7-14)
Contributed on Nov 7, 2024
God promises his exiled people He will bring them from shame to honor, from exile to home, from being prisoners to freedom.
The last few weeks, we've spent a fair bit of time studying, and circling around, Isaiah 49:1-6. These verses (I've argued) are the words of the exilic prophet, who feels like his ministry to Israel has been a waste. He's accomplished nothing. He's poured out his strength for ...read more