SERMON OUTLINE:
Jerusalem's scoffers…
• drunken leadership
• derision of God’s prophet
• detachment from God
Isaiah’s hope…
• foundation stone
• God’s chastening
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• In life we are familiar with what we call an object lesson,
• An event or an individual by whose errors and misdemeanours we should learn.
• e.g., Remember the story of Pinocchio, he would not have had so much trouble with his nose, if only he told the truth.
• e.g., Popeye if he had eaten his spinach,
• Would not be weak and struggle in his battles with his enemy Brutus.
• e.g., TV is very good at object lessons,
• We all have probably quoted the line, “He should have gone to Spec Savers!”
• TRANSITION: Isaiah in this chapter has for us an object lesson.
• The lesson is simple, do not scoff at God!
Pause to remind you, remember the land is split, divided into two parts.
• Ten tribes in the north.
• Two tribes in the south.
• Ten tribes in the north were named after the main tribe, Ephraim.
• Two tribes in the south were named after the main tribe, Judah.
Now this chapter divides into two halves, two object lessons.
• PART 1: Is an object lesson from Ephraim to the North of Judea.
• Ephraim is another name for Samaria in Isaiah.
• (vs 1: N.I.V. uses the name ‘Ephraim’ but the T.L.B. uses the name ‘Samaria.’)
• The lesson is do not end up like Ephraim/Samaria!
• Question: What happened to them?
• Answer:
• In 722BC Samaria was swept away by Assyria,
• King Sennacherib invaded the northern kingdom of Israel and took the people captive.
Quote: Second Kings chapter 18 verse 12 says.
“This happened because they did not listen to the voice of the LORD their God but violated His covenant—all that Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded—and would neither listen nor obey.”
• The object lesson is simple do not end up like Ephraim/Samaria!
• Instead listen and obey the Lord your God.
• PART 2: Is an appeal to the scoffers in Jerusalem.
• e.g., Verse 14:
• “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.”
• e.g., Verse 22:
• “Now stop your mocking,” or “Scoffing.”
Ill:
• This photo was taken recently at the end of our Holiday Club,
• For our Youth Group who helped we had a Pizza party.
• As you can see from the many empty boxes, they, “Scoffed” the lot!
• TRANSITION:
• Now the words, “Scoff” or “Scoffers” in the Bible,
• Have nothing to do with food!
• The words, “Scoff” or “Scoffers” in the Bible,
• Are words taken from the wisdom literature of the Bible.
• And it has to do with a wrong attitude to God and his word.
• “Scoffers” are people who mock or ridicule or are arrogant towards God,
• And there are plenty around from,
• Evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins,
• To English comedian, actor, writer, and director Ricky Gervais.
• Both take great delight in mocking God and his word.
• The scoffer is self-assured, self-arrogant, unteachable - cynical!
Note:
• According to verse 14 the scoffer is found in Jerusalem!
• That’s right, Jerusalem – the city of faith!
“Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers.
who rule this people in Jerusalem.”
• Isaiah expects his readers to be scandalised by that statement!
• Because the last thing you should expect in Jerusalem are scoffers.
Ill:
• But we see forms of this spiritual decay in our own society.
• e.g., People of all faiths are asked to participate in multi-faith services.
• e.g., Or Bishops like the famous one from Durham (Dr David Jenkin),
• He was dubbed the "unbelieving bishop" after saying,
• He did not believe God would have arranged a virgin birth and the resurrection.
• So, we see forms of this spiritual decay in our own society.
Note:
• Whenever you have an object lesson,
• There is a negative example, inevitably there is a positive counterpart.
• The negative is always don’t be like X or Y,
• The positive is instead by like A or B.
• So, by holding up Samaria or Ephraim in verses 1-13 as an object lesson.
• Remember they were swept away by Assyria in 722BC.
• Isaiah intends to teach the rulers of Judea and Jerusalem in verses 14 to 29.
• To trust in the living God and not to listen to the scoffers.
Note:
• I am not going into any great detail,
• But let me give you the skeleton and you can go home and put your own meat on!
Verse 1 contains the first of six, 'woes':
• Chapter 28 verse 1.
• Chapter 29 verse 1.
• Chapter 29 verse 15.
• Chapter 30 verse 1.
• Chapter 31 verse 1.
• Chapter 33 verse 1.
Ill:
• When I was at junior school one teacher, Mrs Webb use to use the word, ‘woe’.
• 'Woe betide you' if you do not do your homework etc.
• To us the word, ‘woe’. means trouble!
• TRANSITION:
• In the Bible it means trouble and much more.
• It is a curse; it is the opposite of the word blessed.
• If you ‘bless’ someone you are pronouncing a benediction on them.
• Something good!
• But if you say woe, you are pronouncing a malediction upon someone,
• Something dad!
Ill:
• Jesus used the word ‘woe’ in the gospels,
• He used it against the scribes and Pharisees,
• They were cursed, in big trouble if they did not repent,
• They would face divine judgment from God.
Note:
The problem with Jerusalem’s scoffers was shown in three ways.
FIRST: DRUNKEN LEADERSHIP (VS 1-13)
• That was true of Samaria/Ephraim in the North,
• She is described as a fading flower:
• When she was obedient to the Lord, she was full of life and beauty.
• But now she is like a fading flower, a wreath, slowly dying, a picture of decay.
e.g., Verse 1:
“Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley--to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!”
e.g., Verse 3:
“That wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, will be trampled underfoot”.
But sadly, it was also true of the leaders in the south, the leaders in Jerusalem:
e.g., Verse 7-8 are shocking:
“And these also stagger from wine and reel from beer: Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions.
8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a spot without filth.
• The drinking of alcohol is not banned by the Bible, we are not told to abstain.
• In fact, wine is often used as a symbol of joy and celebration.
• But drunkenness (excessive drinking) is always wrong!
• It is condemned by God who warns against such wrong behaviour!
• Isaiah depicts prophets in the very act of prophesying, reeling from their beer.
• The picture here is so vivid that it seems likely that Isaiah actually witnessed it himself.
• Their prophecies and visions he say, were not from the Spirit of God;
• But were the result of an intoxicating spirit.
• Now if the leaders were behaving like this.
• You can imagine how the rest of the people were living.
• Drunkenness was a plague that had swept through God’s people.
(B). DERISION OF GODS PROPHET (VS 9-10)
Quote: We have all heard the expression:
“If you don’t like the message, don’t shoot the messenger,”
• This happens all the time at speakers’ corner, I see it every week,
• When someone is losing a debate, they start to insult their opponent!
• TRANSITION:
• Well Judah did not like Isaiah’s message:
• They did not shoot him, but they did sarcastically mock him.
• Unlike the nursery rhyme, ‘sticks & stones’ we know that words can also hurt!
e.g., Verse 9-10:
“Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk to those just taken from the breast?
10 For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there”.
In their drunken stupor they accuse Isaiah of three things:
• (1). He talks to us as though we are children (vs 9).
• (2). He keeps repeating himself (vs 10).
• (3). There is no need to take his words seriously (vs 9 – his message is not for them).
(C). DETACHMENT FROM GOD (VS 11-29)
Isaiah’s answer to the supercritical crowd of religious drunks:
• Was to say (vs 11); “If you will not listen to my simple speech in your own language.
• God will talk to you through the Assyrians, and you will soon understand their tongue”.
• And because they had detached themselves from God,
• They would therefore NOT experience his rest:
• Verse 20: “Their bed would be too small”.
• Verse 20: “Their blanket too short to wrap around”.
More seriously, Isaiah makes it very clear to the people:
• Stop trusting ‘power politics and international treaties and start trusting the Lord.
• He alone is the precious 'cornerstone' (vs 16a) which God lays in Zion.
• Other nations will not support you.
• But “whoever trusts in him will never be dismayed” (vs 16b).
Isaiah’s hope.
First: Get your foundations right! Vs 16
“this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation.
the one who relies on it.
will never be stricken with panic.”
This picture occurs frequently in the Bible.
• e.g., Psalm 118 verse 22.
• e.g., 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 11.
• e.g., 1 Peter 2 verses 4-7.
• These people were self-confident.
• They are trusting in political alliances,
• Their only hope was to have a sure foundation in the day of testing.
• Mentions testing in verse 17: ‘measuring line & the plumb line.’
Ill:
• Wise & foolish builders.
• (catch any congregation out)
SECOND: God chastens his people! Vs 27-29
• The chapter finishes with two simple parables from country life.
• Parable of a ploughman and the parable of a harvester
(a). Ploughman
• Does a ploughman go on ploughing the soil all year round?
• Does he go on churning and breaking up the ground forever?
• Well, the answer is an obvious no!
• The ploughman only does it until he has a good seed bed.
• And then he sows.
• TRANSITION: God will not plough up his people forever.
• But chastening comes so that God is able to sow something good into his people.
• So, judgement will be limited!
(b). Harvesting/threshing.
• When you thrashed in ancient times you needed the right tool.
• e.g., if you used a threshing sledge on a small seed like dill you will destroy it.
• You should use a stick or a flail.
• Verse 28 he talks about not over grinding the grain and damaging it.
• TRANSITION: The point is you must be limited in your threshing,
• Or you will destroy what is good.
• God will plough up his people so he can sow something good.
• He will carefully separate the good from the evil.
• Even in his punishment God has a plan!
• We might not always appreciate God’s plan at the time but with hindsight it is…
“All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,
whose wisdom is magnificent.”
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=Gv0mKuhUWuKTSRFst63gk7DlrR5FTrCB
