The sermon text provided below is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

Please remain standing for the reading of God’s Word as we return to our consideration of the book
of the prophet Isaiah. This morning we are again in Isaiah 11 and my sermon text for
this morning is Isaiah 11 verses 10-16. Isaiah 11 verses 10-16. That’s found on page 684
in your Pew Bibles. Dear friends, let us hear the Word of God.
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. 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. 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.
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. But they shall swoop down
on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west and together they shall plunder the peoples
of the east. They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab and the Ammonites shall
obey them. 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 and there will be a highway from Assyria for
the remnants that remains of his people as there was for Israel when they came up from
the land of Egypt. Dear ones, the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our
God endures forever. Let’s pray for the Lord to bless the preaching of his word.
Our Lord and Father in heaven, what an amazing thing that you have spoken. You’ve given to
us clear instruction in the Holy Scriptures, which are a lamp unto our feet and a light
unto our path. We would ask, O Lord, as we consider this portion of your holy word that
your spirit, O Lord, would open our minds and our hearts to behold wondrous things from
your word, illuminate us, enlighten us, teach us with your spirit through the word. And
we pray, O God, that the seed of your word would indeed take deep root in our hearts
and bear much spiritual fruit in our lives, fruit that brings praise and glory and honor
to your holy name. And once again, Lord, we ask that you would set a guard over my lips
that I, your unworthy servant, may only speak that which is faithful to your word. We pray
these things through Christ our Lord and all of God’s people said. Amen. You may be seated.
Dear ones, the title of my sermon this morning is A Signal to the Nations, A Signal to the
Nations. And the key words the young people can be listening for in my sermon today are
the words signal, unity, exodus, missions, and Messiah. Well, my dear brothers and sisters
in Christ, our Christian faith is a missionary faith. After His resurrection, our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ commanded His apostles and therefore commanded His church to go therefore
and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age as our Lord revealed and spoke
to His disciples in Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20. In one of His post-resurrection appearances
to His disciples, our resurrected Lord instructed them in the words that we read in Luke 24
verses 44 through 48. If you want to turn there, Luke chapter 24 verses 44 through 48,
our Lord Jesus says this. Then He said to them, these are my words that I spoke to you
while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the
prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. Then He opened their minds to understand the
scriptures and said to them, thus it is written that the Christ should suffer and on the third
day rise from the dead. And notice verse 47, and that repentance for the forgiveness of
sin should be proclaimed in His name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem. You are
witnesses of these things. Now, dear friends, I bring this to your attention because not
all world religions are missionary religions, believe it or not. Some are, but not all are.
To give you an example, think of the religion of Judaism as it exists today in its various
forms. Now, Judaism certainly welcomes converts, but as a general rule, most denominations
of Judaism do not actively engage in proselytism. They don’t actively engage in the practice
of trying to convince non-Jews to become Jews. But that is different when it comes to Christianity.
Beloved, our Christian faith is by definition a missionary faith. Why? Well, because our
God is a missionary God. He is a God who through His Son, Jesus Christ, actively sends His
Son, He seeks and saves that which is lost. And you and I are evidence of that, brothers
and sisters. For we did not seek God first, He first sought us before we sought Him. We
love Him because He first loved us. He is the Hound of Heaven who sought us out and
brought us in by His sovereign grace. And this fact is not just, this is not just true
about God with the coming of Christ and the New Testament era. It’s not that God in Old
Testament times was not a missionary God, but with the sending of His Son, He has had
a change of heart, if you will. No, friends, this has always been true about God throughout
redemptive history. God has always been a missionary God. He didn’t just suddenly embrace
a missionary impulse when He decided to send His Son into this world. No, even in the long
ages of the Old Testament era, God was preparing His people and therefore was preparing by
implication preparing the world for the coming of the promised Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.
And this Messiah would come not just as the Savior of the Jews, the Savior of Israel,
His professed covenant people, but no, He would come as the Savior of the world, Jews
who believe in Him and Gentiles who believe in Him as well. It is this promised Messiah
whom God would raise up as a signal, as a rallying point for the nations and peoples
of humanity. And in its evangelistic and missionary calling, the true visible Church of Jesus
Christ continues to this day to lift up the Lord Jesus Christ and to lift up the good
news about Jesus as a signal, a rallying point to the nations as through its preaching and
teaching and evangelistic ministries, it calls all peoples and all nations and tongues and
tribes everywhere to turn in faith and repentance to Christ and Christ alone for salvation and
to come into the messianic fellowship of the Church which is the true Israel of God. Our
passage for this morning points us to that fact as it speaks of Jesus the Messiah as
a signal to the nations and that brings me to my first point this morning as we turn
our attention to our text for today and I would have you focus first of all on verses
10-12 as we consider Jesus the Messiah as a signal to the nations. It says this beginning
in verse 10, it says, 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. Now how
does this verse start off? It starts off with those significant words in that day. It starts
with that day. In what day? What’s he talking about? Well this is what the theologians call
eschatological language. When prophets like the prophet Isaiah speak of that day they’re
speaking prophetically of a future day, a future time and in the context of this passage
that day refers to the eschatological day of the messianic new covenant era, that era
of redemptive history which began with the incarnation and virgin birth of our Lord and
which will continue even into the time when Jesus returns in glory and ushers in the new
heavens and the new earth where in righteousness dwells. And what will happen in that day,
that day of the Messiah, that new covenant messianic age? Well in that day someone who
is referred to as the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal for the people, a signal
to the peoples which in context is speaking not just to his people, his covenant people
as they existed back in Isaiah’s day, but to the peoples of the nations of humanity.
Now who is this root of Jesse? What is this referred to? Children who was Jesse in the
Bible? Well Jesse was King David’s father and so the reference here to Jesse is a reference
to the royal messianic line. Remember God’s word promises that the Messiah would come
from the house and lineage of King David but not only was Jesus great David’s greater son,
not only was Jesus a descendant of King David, Royal King David, he was also the root of
Jesse and we’ll speak about in a few moments what that means. The root of Jesse in other
words this is a messianic title so this is a messianic prophecy. Now when you think about
it historically speaking the Babylonian exile of the southern kingdom would cut down the
royal line of David as an axe cuts down a tree and so when the southern kingdom was
exiled into the land of Babylon there was no king, no royal king in the lineage of David
to sit on David’s throne for centuries. But friends just because there was no king from
the house of David ruling on David’s throne after the Babylonian exile that does not mean
that God’s promises to David were null and void. God’s promises always prove true even
if outward circumstances would seem on the surface level at least to disprove them. God’s
promises his covenant promises to David are always true. Though the tree of David had
been cut down in the exile a Davidic root still remained. As Dr. E.J. Young explains
in commenting on this passage he says after the tree has been felled the root remains
in the ground and from it alone new life can come. Jesus the promised Messiah is the promised
root of Jesse for he is great David’s greater son. He is the one who restores and fulfills
the meaning of David’s royal dynasty. Again to quote from Dr. Young the Messiah is seen
to be a support and stay for Jesse’s family. Christ is the root of Jesse because he is
the support and stay of the royal line of the Messiah. He is the promised anointed king
the promised Messiah which simply means anointed one. Just as a root is the support and stay
for a tree. And this kind of language this tree language is very prominent in this chapter
if you go back to verse 1 verse 1 of chapter 11 begins by saying there shall come forth
a shoot from the stump of Jesse. The stump indicating the tree has been cut down in
God’s judgment. God had judged the kingdom the southern kingdom the theocratic kingdom
because of the unfaithfulness of the descendants of David. But a stump remained and new life
would come from that stump. And of course that’s fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 11 verse 1 there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch
from his roots shall bear fruit. Now Paul the apostle references chapter 11 verse 10
in Romans chapter 15 verse 12. Let me just have you turn there and let me read that and
make a few comments on that briefly. Romans chapter 15 verse 12 where we read these words
and again Isaiah says the root of Jesse will come even he who arises to rule the Gentiles
in him will the Gentiles hope. Again he is speaking here of how in Christ both Jew and
Gentile who believe in him are brought into the one covenant people of God the one family
of God. And of course the apostle John writing under the Spirit’s inspiration in Revelation
22 verse 16 also speaks of Christ as the root and offspring of David. If you turn to Revelation
chapter 22 and look at verse 16 it says this I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you
about these things for the churches. And notice what Jesus says about himself he says I am
the root and the descendant of David the bright morning star. He is the root of David he is
the origin the support and the stay of David but he is also with respect to his human nature
he is the descendant of David just as the scriptures promise the Messiah would be. And
it is this root of Jesse again who will stand we are told in our passage for today in verse
10 the root of Jesse shall stand as a what a signal for the peoples. Now this two words
term signal can also be translated as a banner that’s how the New King James version translates
it or it could be translated as an ensign that’s how the revised standard version translates
it. But the point is that Jesus the Messiah himself as he is proclaimed in the gospel
message he would be a rallying point for all nations as it says of him shall the nations
inquire. The nations not just the nation not just the covenant people of God as they existed
in Old Testament times but the true people of God the elect from all tribes and tongues
and peoples and nations of him shall the nations inquire for Christ in being lifted up on the
cross would draw all peoples to himself. Turn with me if you would to John 3 and let me
read verses John 14 and 15 we’re all familiar with John 316 but we need to read John 316
in view of the context that precedes it in John 3 beginning at verse 14 the Apostle John
reminds us of the event that occurred in the Old Testament where God’s judgment came went
out among the people by sending serpents among them and the serpents began to poison the
people and they began to die and the Lord instructed Moses to set up a bronze serpent
so that when the serpent was lifted up if you got bitten by one of these poisonous
snakes if you looked at that bronze serpent you would be healed. It says in verse 14
that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the son of man be lifted
up and what will happen that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. So we see the
Messiah being lifted up as a signal to the nations we see this also this thought also
being brought out in John chapter 12 verse 32 John chapter 12 verse 32 where the Lord
Jesus says this and I when I am lifted up from the earth he’s speaking of his crucifixion
being raised up on the cross when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to
myself people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. There is something
drawing attractive about the crucified resurrected Jesus. It is attractive the message of salvation
through the cross and resurrection of Jesus is attractive to those of us who know ourselves
to be sinners who desperately need God’s forgiving grace and mercy in Christ. So our passage
for today points forward to that lifting up of Christ as a signal for the peoples and
it says his resting place shall be glorious or as it could be translated as Dr. Young
suggests his resting place is glory for Christ after he rose from the dead and ascended into
heaven where is he now? He is in glory seated at the Father’s right hand he intercedes for
us his resting place is glory and then it goes on to say in verse 11 in that day again
we’re speaking of the same it’s speaking of the same messianic day in that day the
Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnants that remains of his
people from Assyria from Egypt from Pathros from Kush from Elam from Shinar from Hamath
and from the coastlands of the sea. In the Exodus event Yahweh the covenant God of Israel
had rescued his people from their slavery in Egypt and as that is described in the Old
Testament the Old Testament often speaks of God delivering rescuing his people by his
mighty hand and his outstretched arm. Of course God does not, God is a spirit he does not
literally have a human body but this imagery of God using his hand extending his arm is
a picture of God exercising his power in judgment and in mercy and deliverance. So here in this
verse God promises in the messianic age to extend his hand not to punish as he had punished
Pharaoh and the Egyptians but to rescue and deliver his people from among the nations
and to deliver them from something much worse than physical slavery and oppression but to
deliver them from sin and death and hell. The nations listed here, nations such as Assyria,
Egypt, Pathros, Kush, Elam, Shinar which I believe is Babylon and Hamath and the coastlands
of the sea these are nations that had been Israel’s neighbors and the nations here represented
the Gentile enemies of God and his people. Yet here God promises to recover a remnant
even from the midst of these nations which had once been hostile to his people. In this
context this speaks not only of a return from exile but rather of an ingathering of converts
to the Lord even from among the Gentile nations which had once persecuted his people. Again
I’ve referenced this passage before but this theme is brought out repeatedly throughout
Isaiah and it sort of culminates in chapter 19 if you look at Isaiah 19 verses 23 to 24
we read these words. In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Egypt
and Assyria were the persecutors of God’s people in Old Testament times and Assyria
will come into Egypt and Egypt into Assyria and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria a blessing in the midst
of the earth whom the Lord of hosts has blessed saying blessed be Egypt my people and Assyria
the work of my hands and Israel my inheritance. Friends this is so powerful. This shows that
our God has always been a missionary God and that he intended for the good news to go into
the nations not just to be limited to the physical descendants of Abraham the people
of the Jews who would come to believe in him as Messiah but to all the nations of humanity.
The saving work of the Messiah would redeem sinners from all nations and people groups
as that heavenly scene that scene of heavenly worship recorded for us in Revelation 5 verses
9 and 10 records it says and they sang a new song saying worthy are you to take the scroll
and open its seals for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation and you have made them a kingdom and
priests to our God and they shall reign on the earth. And then in verse 12 of our passage
for today the jealousy of I’m sorry verse 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 and this is not to teach this is not teaching that the earth is flat
this is just poetic language describing the fullness of the earth that goes even beyond
the borders of national Israel again friends in the messianic age not only would there
be a return from exile but there would be an in gathering of God’s elect from all the
nations as Jesus the Messiah the root of Jesse is lifted up among the nations through the
proclamation of the gospel and through the missionary labors of Christ’s church.
The good news brothers and sisters the good news dear listeners is that Jesus the Savior
was lifted up on the cross to pay the penalty for sin and he was raised from the dead so
that whoever believes in him whoever repents and trusts in him alone for salvation from
sin might not perish but have everlasting life if the Lord by his spirit and through
the word has shown you your sin and your wretchedness and your need for grace and mercy and forgiveness
there is good news look to the signal look to the signal that the Lord has raised up
the promised Messiah the root of Jesse he has been raised as a sin signal for the peoples
including you and me he’s been raised up as the signal the rallying point rally to him
run to him trust him rest in him and you will be forgiven as the word of God declares.
I have to say I don’t think I’m going to get through all my points this day we’d be here
past lunchtime there’s a lot in this passage so I’m just going to end with the first point
today but I do want to speak to something that is related to the truth that our God
is indeed a missionary God it’s my understanding brothers and sisters that in recent years
one of the concerns among the leadership of our own denomination is the observation that
few of our covenant youth today seem to be showing an interest in serving the Lord vocationally
in full-time foreign missions but friends there still remain many throughout the world today
who have not yet heard a clear presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ and there is
still a great need for young people especially young men who sense the call to devote their
lives to raising a signal to the nations by preaching the gospel to a lost and dying world
that is at the heart and center of our missionary calling as the church of Jesus Christ
now I don’t want you to misunderstand me and I’m certainly not trying to guilt you or appeal
to guilt or merely a sense of duty there are certainly many callings many vocations that
God calls his people to and there is certainly nothing wrong nor dishonorable nor unspiritual
with serving the Lord in a secular vocation in fact most of God’s people are called to
serve the Lord in secular vocations and that’s perfectly honorable if you’re called to be
a Christian plumber or an electrician or an engineer even and there is nothing dishonorable
about that the Lord calls us we have many different callings and that’s honorable you’re
not a second class citizen in God’s church just because you’re not a pastor or a foreign
missionary or full-time Christian worker but at the same time I would challenge you and
encourage you dear listener let me challenge you today might the Lord be calling you to
serve him perhaps in foreign missions overseas or in pastoral ministry or through some other
form of full-time Christian service the need is there I want to encourage you who are parents
I want to ask you parents would you be willing to give up your covenant child in their adulthood
to serve the Lord in ministry or in missions overseas and are you encouraging your children
to consider whether God perhaps might be calling them into the mission field I’m not talking
about guilting them or pressuring them but have you presented that as an honorable vocation
and something that God needs there is a need I mean God doesn’t need anything but God uses
means and he raises up and calls people to serve him in missions overseas might God be
calling you or calling one of your children beloved let us lift up as the church let us
lift up Jesus the promised Messiah as the signal to the nations and let us seek to be
faithful to our missionary calling as the church to lift up the Lord so that our neighbors
our friends and people throughout the world would come to hear the glad tidings of great
joy now of course the mission of the church cannot be carried out effectively without
the basic unity of the church and we’ll talk about the unity of the church that is spoken
of in this passage on the next Lord’s Day but friends again let us be a good news people
we serve a missionary God we are to be a missionary people and we are to support missions with
our prayers with our giving and if God should call us with going ourselves let us pray our
Lord and Father in heaven sovereign and eternal God we thank you that you have given Jesus
the promised Messiah that you’ve raised him up through the gospel as a signal for the
nations and that you through the gospel call all peoples everywhere to repent and to believe
the good news we pray that you would use us here at Grace Church as part of this mission
of your church use us Lord make us faithful to the mission that you’ve called us to and
we pray that the glad tidings of great joy would go forth from this place and touch many
hearts and many lives we ask these things heavenly father in Jesus name and all of God’s
people said amen as we close our time together let’s rise and we’ll sing together
hymn 416 your hand oh God has guided 416