The
Savior We Need
Isaiah 11:2-3a
©Copyright December 11, 2011 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche
I
recently read the book JOKER ONE. It is an interesting and informative account
of one team of Marines and their service in Iraq. The book gives a good sense
of the kind of character, service, and danger of those who serve. During one
period the Marines were ordered to keep a main thoroughfare free from
landmines. Soldiers found perches in buildings where they watched the street
(while also fending off attacks from locals). They would sit in these spots for
anywhere from 4 to 12 hours at a time.
The
author of the book shared that soldiers preferred the shorter period of time
because it is hard to look at one place for a long period of time without your
mind drifting away. When you mind drifts you can miss something that will be
the difference between life and death.
We face
a similar problem as we look at the Christmas story. We stare at the story for
so long that we can become distracted and miss the real significance of the
celebration.
This is
why we look at texts such as Isaiah 11 because it is a different text than usual
and therefore gives us a fresh look at the marvelous story of the birth of
Jesus, the Messiah.
Last
week we looked at the confirmation of messianic prophecy. We saw that the Bible
predicted the birth of Jesus and some of the events of His life with an
accuracy that could not be coincidental. This morning we look at words that
describe the character and person of Christ.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and
of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel
and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge
and of the fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
In this
brief verse and a half we are told a great deal about the character of Jesus.
The
overarching characteristic is that the Spirit of the Lord would rest on, abide
with, or live in Him. In the Old Testament people might be given the Spirit of
God for a season. For example, Ezekiel was made unable to speak by God which is
why he acts out so many things in the book by his name. However, when God had a
message for the people he “loosened his tongue”. In these times Ezekiel was
filled with the Spirit of God in a unique and special way.
John
the Baptist testified,
32 Then John gave this
testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
33 I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to
baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and
remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen
and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:32-34)
Catch
the significance of this! Jesus was not merely a man who had a gift. He was not
simply “popular”. He was indwelt by the very Spirit of God! Do you remember the
words of the angels? “He will be great and be called the Son of the Highest”.
This was no ordinary human being who was born in Bethlehem. God in some
mind-boggling way, had become a man.
What
follows is a listing of the qualities that will characterize this Messiah on
whom the Spirit rests. Rather than try to draw fine distinctions where there
may be no real differences let’s look at the words and learn some things about
the Messiah who was born in Bethlehem.
He Knows Who We Are
and What We Need
Jesus
had both wisdom and understanding.
One business
man may know what needs to be done but has no real ability to turn that
knowledge into reality. Another person may be very skilled in implementing
plans but has no vision for what needs to happen. Some people are highly
educated. They know a lot about a lot of things. However, they have no, what we
would call, common sense. They aren’t good with people; they don’t seem to be
able to get knowledge into useful action.
Jesus combines
both wisdom and understanding. He sees and understands with the heart and mind
of God. Isaiah declares that the coming Messiah would know the truth about us
and will know what we most need. Think about what this looks like practically.
As Jesus relates to us,
As we
read the biographies of Jesus in the Gospels, we learn Jesus knew what people
were thinking. He knew the hearts of the religious leaders. He knew what they
were trying to do. When the paralytic was lowered through the roof by His
friends, Jesus told him that his sins were forgiven because Jesus knew the
man’s greatest need was not his physical problem, but his spiritual problem.
Jesus knew the woman caught in adultery needed a fresh start so He forgave her;
He knew the woman at the well needed to look beyond her physical needs; He knew
Zacchaeus was ready to believe.
Every
year at Christmas time we make out lists of things we would like to receive.
The truth however is this: We have no real idea of what we need. We know what
may excite or amuse us for the moment. We know what will meet our current
desires and whims. But we don’t truly know what we need.
We
crave comfort but we may need discomfort and trial to deepen us and to help us
appreciate the rich blessings we take for granted. We want more money but what
we may need is to learn to depend upon Him and learn that He is sufficient. We
want our pains to go away but what we may need is to learn to glorify and serve
the Lord in the midst of the pain.
Isn’t
this true of how a parent relates to a child? Our kids think they need candy or
a certain toy. They think they need a boyfriend or girlfriend. They think they
need to be liked by everyone and look like their friend. They truly believe
these things are what they need. However, we know differently. We know that
these things are all superficial. Sometimes we given our children what they
don’t want (vegetables instead of candy) in order to give them what they truly
need! I believe God does the same. Since
He knows what we really need He can meet these needs better than anything or
anyone else in the world.
He Speaks with Consistency,
Power, and Authority
Isaiah
also says the Messiah would be characterized by counsel and power. The MESSAGE
translates this: “The Spirit that gives direction and builds strength,”
In
other words, Jesus never said or did the wrong thing. He always did what the
Holy Spirit was prompting him to do. He spoke the words God wanted Him to
speak. He was consistent. He never lost sight of His mission. When people heard Jesus, they said the same
thing again and again, “We never heard anyone speak like this, He speaks as one
who has authority” (Luke 4:32 as an example). Jesus possessed a godly authority
and genuineness that was and is compelling. Of all the teachings in the world
none match the riveting directness of the Sermon on the Mount.
We live
our lives wondering whom we can truly trust. We know from experience that many
people are trying to deceive us and rip us off.
We also know that the world is a confusing place. We can read two books or
hear two people speak about a subject and find that they draw two entirely
different conclusions. Our friends tell us one thing, our parents tell us
another. Sometimes our emotions tell us one thing while our head tells us
something else. Where do we turn to find truth that is reliable and dependable?
Where do we find a truth by which to measure all other “truths”?
Isaiah
tells us that the answer is: in the Lord Jesus. He alone speaks with wisdom; He
gives us the power and ability to follow that direction. He is consistent and
can help us find consistency as well. His truth will not change with the wind
or the political or moral climate.
As you
and I read the Gospels (as well as all of God’s word) we find an authenticity
in the words that surprise and convict us. He is that standard of truth we have
been looking for. Is we will embrace Christ and trust Him,
we will be able to measure all other truth claims by Him.
He Makes it
Possible for Us to Know God
We
are told that the Messiah will possess “the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the
Lord— and he will delight in the
fear of the Lord.” The
Messiah would be one who would have a special and unique knowledge of God. In
the Gospel of John we read the words that the “food of Jesus” was “to do the
will of him who sent me to finish his work” (John 4:34, 6:38-39). In John 14:9
Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father”. Throughout the
ministry of Jesus we are told that those who reject the Son also reject the
Father. This is because Jesus is the doorway to the Father. We will not and
cannot know God in a personal and transforming way apart from the Son of God.
In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and
the life, no man can come to the Father except through me.” This isn’t
narrow-minded exclusiveness, it is simply the truth! Jesus is the only One who can bring us to the
Father because He is the very Son of God. He is the way to God. He alone can break
the impenetrable wall between us and God.
If we understand this then we will better understand the
words of the angels who sang, “Peace on Earth and goodwill to Men”. What was it
about the birth of Jesus that brought peace? It was the fact that Jesus erased
the barrier of sin that stood between us and a relationship with God. Because
of Jesus we are no longer enemies, we are now one. And as a result of our peace
with God, we can now have peace with each other.
Have you ever seen a television show where some very
wealthy person finds out about a person’s deep need and then surprises that
person by showing up and paying off their debt? (Wouldn’t that be nice?) The
person who is the recipient of the great gift will usually start to cry,
squeal, or jump up and down. Some even faint. The burden that weighed them down
has been destroyed and they are set free to know a freedom they didn’t know was
possible.
Keep that image in your head. We owe God a great debt
because of our sin, rebellion, indifference, and recklessness. If you will,
Jesus entered the earth like the “Millionaire from Heaven” He alone has what it
takes to set us free. He alone can open to us a door of new and everlasting
life. The amazing part of this is that Jesus not only pays our sin debt, He
gives us an inexhaustible credit from which we can draw until that day when we
too will be made holy.
Conclusions
From
all this let’s draw some quick and simple (yet life-altering) conclusions.
Trust His Sufficiency. The first lesson is
that Jesus is the Savior we need. He is God in human form, He understands who
we are and what we need, He speaks with clarity and authority, and He alone can
meet the greatest need of our lives. Because of Jesus, we can be forgiven, we
can know God, we can be part of His family, we can be empowered by His Spirit,
and we can know His life even beyond the grave.
Consider
what good news this is! We no longer need to run around trying to find
something “new” that will meet our need. We don’t need to do this because nothing
can equal what Christ has already done and is doing in us.
Jesus was
not only the One Israel had been waiting for; He is the One
you and I have been waiting for as well.
Pursue
Him Energetically.
Second, since Jesus is the One we have been waiting for it only makes sense to
run to Him. He has offered us salvation and new life. A.W. Pink once wrote, “The great mistake made
by people is hoping to discover in themselves that which is to be found in
Christ alone.”[1] Every
other pursuit must be secondary because no one or nothing else can address the
deep need we have in our hearts and lives.
There is only One
who can meet the greatest need of our hearts. It is Jesus, and we should run to
Him. We should push everything else aside to find Him because when we find Him,
we have found everything. The temple leader Asaph
discovered this. In Psalm 73 he wrote,
Whom have I in
heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength
of my heart and my portion forever. [Psalm 73:25,26]
It is likely that when you came here
today you may have been burdened about many things: presents you need to
purchase, events you need to plan, activities you need to attend, goals you
need to set, reports you need to write. We pour much time and energy into these
things. Let me be direct: If you are running after these things instead of
running after Him, you are wasting your time. You are like the person who
pursues one get rich quick scheme after another instead of actually getting a
job and earning a living. You are chasing what does not last and cannot
satisfy.
Live in the Power of His Spirit. When Jesus was
getting ready to go to the cross He told his disciples that this was actually
going to end up being a good thing because He would send the Comforter to them.
They would be indwelt by the same Spirit (but in a different way) that He was.
Practically,
this means when we become His follower, we too can have wisdom and
understanding. We can possess counsel and power. We can know what it means to
live in the “fear (or respect) of the Lord”. It is a great promise. It is an
incredible opportunity. Jesus offers to fill us with His life.
Think
about the Christmas story. Mary and Joseph believed God was at work and walked
forward in faith even though others surely snickered. The Shepherds were filled
with wonder and left their flocks to go to Bethlehem. The Magi dropped everything to travel far in
order to seek this One born who called to them in the stars. These people did not understand everything
but that was taking place but they understood enough to know that they needed
to diligently seek Him. And that is what they did.
Now God
extends an invitation to us. We can gather in circles and debate and study His
invitation. We can write and sing songs about Him. We can even ignore Him.
However, if we truly understand who He is and recognize that He is the One we truly need, then we will pursue Him with every ounce
of strength we have in life. Why? Because when we find Him we find life. When
we submit to Him we experience what it really means to be known and loved. When
we trust Him we become whole for the very first time. We will not only watch
the wonder of Christmas, we will also see it.
©Copyright December 11, 2011 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche www.unionchurch.com