Rejoice in the Triumph of God’s Grace

Isaiah 12:1–6

This morning we come to the end of the first of the five sections in Isaiah. Now there’s a couple of different ways that you can wrap up a story. My favorite author is John Steinbeck, he’s a master of words. He’s so good with sentences that he will write in a grammatically incorrect way in order to highlight his point. Sometimes I get lost in the way he artfully creates a sentence that I miss the story. But if you’ve ever read Steinbeck, you’ll know why there are plenty of people who don’t like him. His stories never come to a happy ending. He’s not writing fairy tales, he’s writing about real life.

Now Isaiah is writing about real life, and we know how real life works, it doesn’t end happy, often. So we might expect Isaiah’s sections to conclude in darkness and gloom… but he doesn’t do that. He doesn’t do that because as a prophet he was sent to the people to tell them about the character of God. Shouldn’t we, with a proper perspective, always assume that God is going to be glorified at the end of every story, at the end of time, and that glorious picture of God somehow also involves the joy of his people? I think we should.

This is what Isaiah describes for us this morning. Just to very quickly recap these 12 chapters. Isaiah begins with a description of sin-filled landscape of God’s people, speaking in big terms about sin and its effects, and God and his judgment and grace.

Then we hit chapter 6 where Isaiah zooms in on his encounter with God. Now maybe we expect Isaiah to be a hero in the text, but he’s not. When he is confronted with the holiness of God, he is undone. An individual sinner before God, and yet God’s grace triumphs over his sin and cleanses him by the atoning sacrifice of the lamb.

7-9 we see Judah, same sinful condition, and yet promised grace to triumph over their sin. Then 9-11 Israel, same sinful condition, and yet promised grace to triumph over their sin. Now chapter 12 brings this section to a close and 13-27 is going to turn outward to the sin of the rest of the world.

But what Isaiah does in chapter 12 is fast forward all the way to when God’s grace has triumphed over sin in Christ, and God is glorified in the singing and gospel proclamation of his people. It would be shocking, if God hadn’t demonstrated himself to be a gracious merciful redemptive God. But he is, so we should rejoice in his triumphant grace as well. Let’s look at this together.

1-2

Now 1 and 2 really speak as the individual experiences salvation. 3 serves as the key in the middle of this chapter where 4-6 move outwardly to the corporate.

Isaiah explains here what comes out of the mouth of a Christian. You know many people claim to love God and believe in Christ, but they don’t speak and sing the way that this chapter describes a believer.

Look at how God has moved and what the Christian describes. God was angry with you, but his anger turned away that he might comfort you. So you give him thanks.

The Christian rejoices because God was your former enemy! How does this happen? How was God your enemy and is now, not just friend, but comforter?

Listen when you see words like “your anger turned away,” you must, MUST, ask how and why. If you want to learn how to read your bible, I believe properly, and theologically, if you see God acting when you’re reading, you have to ask, “how did that happen!?”

Well we know the answer because we’ve heard the old old story so many times. But Isaiah will go on to supply it for us later in his book. God didn’t simply decide no longer to be angry, and so stopped being angry, his anger is directed toward sin and must be dealt with. What did he do? He tells us in chapter 52 and 53 that Immanuel, the Branch, the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, was pierced for our transgressions. That the Father poured out his wrath on his son. He stood condemned in our place.

Jesus told the disciples in John that he had to go do this so that the Father could send The Comforter. What was Jesus telling those men? I’m about to go take away the wrath of God so that the Father’s anger will be turned away and God will comfort you.

See Isaiah says “Behold, look, God is my salvation!” This was the entire message of Isaiah. Trust in God. This is what Ahaz should have said.

Friend, right here, right now, can you say this? I’m giving up my other hopes. I’m going to stop creating back up plans just in case God fails me, i’m going to stop thinking through other contingencies. That is not faith in God! Can you give it all up and say “he is enough?” What will you find when you do that? Trusting him means no fear.

He will become your strength and song because he is your salvation.

You know we were created to sing? Look that doesn’t mean you’re good at singing, but you were created for it.

Think about the way people celebrate. Some people settle for so little. Maybe you know these people. You work all week so you can crack open a beer and party friday night. We write songs about the weekend. We write songs about clocking out. Don’t we? Why do we do that? Joyful singing and celebration at finished work is something we were created for.

Joyful singing at victory, at celebration, at love, is something we were created for. Some of you stand here during our singing like you’re at a funeral, but have no problem singing our culture’s songs of praise.

Now Isaiah here is throwing us all the way back to the Exodus. He’s quoting 15:2. The people made it through the Red Sea and a party broke out, singing joyful praise to the Lord. We see this all over scripture when God’s people comprehend the magnitude of God’s saving grace.

3. As the deer pants for the water, so my soul thirsts for you. Numerous scriptures picture a thirsty soul longing for water. You can imagine how this picture would work for a people living in desert type conditions.

Isn’t it true that our spiritual desires often feel like thirst? How many time have you felt like you were going to choke and die of thirst if you didn’t get a drink of whatever sin fills your life? Desire feels this way doesn’t it?

Oh but look, Isaiah is telling us that our desires can only be satisfied truly when we drink deeply from the wells of salvation. Joyful satisfaction is what we find in Christ.

Jesus tells the woman at the well this in John 4. Isaiah tells us in 41 that God will satisfy the thirsty, Revelation 7:17 “17 For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”” John tells us that it is from the fullness of Christ that we all receive grace upon grace.

Your deepest longings and desires will only ever be fulfilled in drinking deeply from the well of Christ.

Now perhaps you say “I’ve tried him but i’m not being fulfilled the way this promises.” Have you draw from the well? This drawing from the well means, like we spoke of earlier, letting go of all other trusts and backup plans. We don’t try Christ out to see if he works, we jump head first in with no backup plan.

Faith in Christ doesn’t have a safety harness. All in. Have you done that? Oh if you have, you’ll have your thirst satisfied and will be filled with a joy that cannot be taken away.

Looks at the result of drinking from this well.

4-6 In that day you will give thanks to him and call upon his name.

Calling upon his name means that you rely on the full character and reputation of God. This is the result in the corporate people, the church. The church no longer relies on false gods for her hope. There are no gurus and experts in the field of soul satisfaction, there is a full reliance upon the character of God.

Do you think the weight of the world is too much for God to handle? The nations are as a drop in the bucket to him. He owns the cattle on a thousand hill. He flung the stars to the very corners of the universe. All the while he knows the thoughts and intentions of every human heart.

What are we to do? Make known his deeds among the peoples. God’s people no longer trust the nations for her own salvation, rather we go to the nations and proclaim to them that Christ is their only hope.

Sing, sing. Jesus prayed for this in John 17:13 “that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

See Isaiah is looking forward to the day when God will dwell with his people, not just in her midst in the tent, but in the person of Jesus among us, in the Spirit indwelling our hearts by faith, and some day heaven coming down to earth with God sitting on the throne and filling to universe with the glory of his holy face, when we will shout and sing for joy that he is blessed forever.