Isaiah 12:1-6 - Joy in Christ

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Intro

We are on week three of our advent series.

And week three is all about our joy in Christ.

The fact that we can have joy because of Christ.

We can have joy because of his birth, life, death, resurrection, and second coming.

But more than that, we can have joy because all of those things show us who God is and what he has done.

We can have joy in God’s character and actions.

But joy is an interesting thing because all kinds of people find joy in all kinds of things other than Christ.

In our cultural celebration of Christmas…

Kids find joy in getting exactly what they always wanted on Christmas morning.

Parents find joy in seeing the joy of their children receive the perfect gift.

We find joy in our Christmas traditions.

We find joy in babies experiencing their first Christmas.

But even then, some of our experiences of Christmas are not joyful.

Orphans spending yet another Christmas without any presents or parents.

A couple who has longed to share Christmas with children, but who remain childless.

Widows remembering the traditions of Christmases in the past that will never happen again because their husband is gone.

Or memories of Christmases is the past that have been corrupted by abuse and neglect from family who should have been loving.

Regardless of our outlook on the traditions we have at Christmas time…

Whether they are joyful or not…

Our primary source of joy is not found in those traditions or our circumstances.

Our primary source of joy is found in Christ.

We have joy when we remember his birth because God’s promise of salvation would soon be realized.

We have joy when we remember his life because God’s loving and gracious character was on display for all to see.

We have joy when we remember his death because that was the moment when our salvation was purchased.

We have joy when we remember his resurrection because that same eternal life is what we get to experience, too!

And we have joy when we look forward to living in eternity because we will live forever in Jesus’ loving embrace.

Our joy being in Christ is actually joy in the character and actions of God in Christ.

We have joy because of who he is and what he’s done.

We’re going to look at a song about this in Isaiah chapter 12.

Who God is and what he has done is the source of our joy.

And that joy is seen in two aspects: personal joy, and community joy.

First, we’re going to look at verses 1 and 2 to see our personal joy in Christ.

Isaiah 12:1–2 ESV

You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

So, this part of Isaiah’s song depicts our…

Personal Joy in Christ (1-2)

Notice that in this passage, Christ, the Messiah, is not mentioned at all.

So how can I legitimately say that Isaiah is singing about him?

That’s a good question, I’m glad you asked!

This song is a response to what Isaiah had written in chapters 6 through 11.

Chapter 6 depicted Isaiah’s commissioning by God.

And in order to even approach God to be commissioned, he had to be cleansed, forgiven of his sin in verse 7.

Then Isaiah was given a message of judgment to give to God’s people.

But that message also included salvation for a remnant in verse 13.

Chapters 7 through the first half of 9 depict Isaiah’s interaction with the king of Judah at that time, King Ahaz.

Ahaz was in trouble because the northern kingdom of Israel and the nation of Syria were teaming up against him.

They had come to attack Jerusalem, and Ahaz was worried that God would not protect them.

So, God told him to ask for a sign to prove that God would protect them, and Ahaz refused to obey.

And God gave him a sign anyway in Isaiah 7:14–16 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.”

God would protect them through a child to be miraculously born of a virgin.

And that child would be called Immanuel.

Immanuel means God is with us.

Not only would that child be a reminder of God’s protection for his people.

He would also be God… with… us.

In chapter 8 Isaiah predicted the downfall of both Israel and Syria by the nation of Assyria.

This would be a dark day of judgment for God’s people, but a remnant would be saved, a remnant who would remain faithful to God.

And this dark day would result in salvation through the child predicted back in chapter 7.

In chapter 9 verse 1 a light of hope, peace, joy, and love would shine out of the darkness surrounding the northern kingdom of Israel.

Where there once was judgment and darkness, in the future there would be salvation and light through that child, the Messiah, the Christ coming from Galilee.

And this salvation would result in abundant joy in verse 3 because this child would free them from oppression and fighting by ruling in peace, justice, and righteousness.

Then in the second half of chapter 9 through chapter 11 Isaiah had some prophetic commentary about this situation.

In 9:8-10:4 Isaiah listed the unrighteousness and wickedness of Israel that God was judging them for.

And then in 10:5-19 he explained that Assyria was simply God’s tool for executing his judgment on wicked Israel.

But Assyria would be super prideful about it, and God would judge them for their pride, too.

And in 10:20-34 a remnant of Israel would be saved as God would strike Assyria a deathblow and establish his kingdom.

It’s in chapter 11 that Isaiah predicted the ruler of God’s kingdom as a branch from the stump of Jesse.

The ruler of God’s kingdom would be that same child depicted in chapters 7 and 9, the Messiah, the Christ.

So, the result of these things will be joy in Christ because it’s God’s promised deliverer, his Messiah, the Christ who would bring about salvation for the remnant of his people.

Isaiah’s song in chapter 12 begins with the words, “You will say, in that day.”

This is the personal response to that salvation.

The word “You” here is singular indicating that this is an individual response.

The phrase “In that day” refers to the day that Christ welcomes all of the remnant of his people back from bondage.

The same day that was referenced in Isaiah 11:11 “In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people…”

Historically, the northern kingdom of Israel never officially returned from captivity in Assyria.

They’re still scattered.

And Paul argues in Romans 9:6-8 that God’s children are not just the descendants of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, nor are all of Abraham’s descendants considered God’s children.

It is those who have faith like Abraham that are considered God’s people.

So, you, if you have faith in God to save you through his Son, Jesus, the Christ…

You are also considered one of God’s people being brought back from bondage to the world.

So, the day Isaiah is depicting here is still future, even now.

But much of what Isaiah depicted has been clarified in the person of Jesus Christ.

He is Immanuel, God with us.

He came out of Galilee preaching the good news of God’s kingdom.

He brought salvation to his people, redemption from bondage.

But that salvation was not as expected.

In Isaiah’s time the northern kingdom was taken in bondage to Assyria.

In Jesus’ time the Jews were in relatively comfortable bondage to Rome.

But the bondage that Jesus saved his people from was the bondage to sin and death.

He saved is people from God’s wrath against their sin by granting them forgiveness.

This is why individually, you who have been saved by God will give thanks to him in that day.

Because he was once angry over your sin, but now he has turned from wrath to comfort because of what Christ has done.

Jesus took the wrath of God in your place.

He took on your sin, and bore the wrath of God so that you could be forgiven.

So that God’s wrath toward you could be changed to comfort.

This is a source of great joy!

And just in case you missed it earlier, God’s Messiah, his specially chosen deliverer for his people, would be Immanuel, God with us… he would be God in the flesh.

That’s why in verse 2, you will also say in that day that God himself is your salvation.

God has saved you from his own wrath because Jesus Christ is God.

This is almost beyond belief, that’s why the word “Behold” is there.

Behold! Look at this! It’s so amazing! God himself has saved you from his own wrath against your sin!

You can trust that your sins are truly forgiven because it was God himself who did what was necessary to afford you forgiveness.

Any other way to be forgiven is not sufficient.

You can’t be good enough…

You can’t balance the scales by doing good things…

You can’t rely on other seemingly good people to pray for you…

You can’t just go to church…

You can’t rely on your religiosity or your good intentions…

But because God himself paid the price for your forgiveness, you can be sure that it is sufficient.

You can trust him.

And really, that trust, that belief, that faith in who Jesus Christ is and what he’s done in dying on the cross in your place…

That’s the only thing you can do to afford forgiveness.

Just believe in him.

Believe that he really is who he says he is, God in the flesh.

Have faith that he died in your place so that you wouldn’t have to.

And trust that that’s all you need to do because his death on your behalf is sufficient to afford you forgiveness.

To turn God’s wrath into comfort.

You don’t have to fear sin and death anymore because God has saved you because he loves you.

He’s your strength and your song.

He’s your source of perfect joy because he’s become your salvation.

So, you can personally have joy in Christ because of who he is and what he’s done.

What did he do?

He has saved you from sin and death by becoming a man and taking your place on the cross so that you could be forgiven.

Who is he?

He’s God in the flesh and he loves you.

He’s trustworthy and faithful as the only sure way to be saved.

But our personal joy in Christ can’t just stay personal.

That’s why Isaiah goes on in verses 3-6 to describe our community joy in Christ.

Isaiah 12:3–6 ESV

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

So, here, Isaiah shifts in his song to our…

Community Joy in Christ (3-6)

In verses 1 and 2 the word “you” was singular, but now in verses 3 through 6 of Isaiah’s song he switches to a plural “you.”

If we were in Texas I might be tempted to use the word y’all here.

Every single one of us who have individually been saved are part of a community.

A group with at least this one thing in common, and who ought to remind each other of the common joy we have in Christ.

In verse 3 Isaiah sings that all of us who have been saved will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Water is a depiction of life.

Jesus used the metaphor of water in this way multiple times.

He used it when speaking with the Samaritan woman in John 4:10 “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.””

And he used it again when he offered salvation to everyone at the feast of booths in John 7:37–38 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ””

Isaiah used it as a metaphor for life, too.

But specifically, he says that the water is salvation.

And he says that everyone in the community of faith will draw this salvation from the wells.

The thing about wells, is that it makes drawing water easy and accessible.

You don’t have to dig for it.

You don’t have to search it out.

It’s available, and easy to find.

All you have to do is draw it.

Likewise, with salvation, you don’t have to work for it or search for it.

It’s available in Jesus Christ.

All you have to do is have faith in him.

But there are a couple of aspects to Isaiah’s statement here that we should look at.

He says this of people who have already been saved.

And he says that we will continually be doing this.

Why would people need to continually draw on salvation who have already been saved?

Our salvation is not a one-time experience.

It was purchased by the single act of Jesus dying in our place.

And it was first experienced a single time as we were born again.

But our experience of salvation is a forever shift from death to life.

We experience salvation over and over every time we remember who we once were, and who God has made us in Christ.

We experience salvation again and again every time we sin and Jesus intercedes for us because of our faith in him.

That’s how we who are saved will continually and joyfully draw from the wells of salvation.

And it really is a joy to remember these things.

That’s the key to community joy in Christ.

Reminding each other of these things.

That’s what the rest of Isaiah’s song is about.

He says that we will say in that day a whole list of commands or reminders to each other.

There are eight things to encourage each other to do here as we joyfully draw life from the wells of Christ.

The first four are in verse 4, and the last four are in verses 5 and 6.

In verse 4 we rapid-fire tell each other to…

Give thanks to the Lord.

Call upon his name.

Make known his deeds among the peoples.

Proclaim that his name is exalted.

We are to encourage each other to have joy in Christ as we give thanks to him.

We give thanks to him for the life and salvation he has given us.

We are to encourage each other to have joy in Christ as we call upon his name.

We call upon his name because he alone is sufficient to save us from sin and death.

We are to encourage each other to have joy in Christ as we make known his deeds among the peoples.

We make his deeds known by reminding each other all that God has done in the gospel.

We are to encourage each other to have joy in Christ as we proclaim that his name is exalted.

We proclaim that his name is exalted by telling everyone who he is.

He is merciful, gracious, loving, good, almighty, holy.

In verses 5 and 6 we get four more commands we are to tell each other, but here we also get some reasons behind those commands.

In verse 5 we are to sing praises to the Lord.

We are to sing praises to him because he has done gloriously.

Again, his actions, his deeds, in the gospel are in view.

And his deeds are glorious.

It makes my jaw drop and chills go up the back of my neck to remember how glorious the gospel really is.

God took it upon himself to fix my biggest problem.

I was stuck in my sin and headed for hell because of it.

But God graciously and unprompted, stepped in and provided the way for me to be saved.

He sent his Son, the Son he loves with all of his heart, to become human and take my punishment so that I wouldn’t have to, and then rise from the dead so that I could spend eternity living in his love.

And the only thing I needed to do for my biggest problem to be fixed is believe that Jesus is who he said he is, and that he did what he was sent to do.

I just needed to trust him to save me.

That’s it!

Next in verse 5 we are to let this be made known in all the earth.

“This” is the glorious deeds in the gospel we’ve been singing about.

Don’t just sing to the Lord.

Sing so that all the earth will hear about how glorious God is for saving us.

And the final two commands are at the beginning of verse 6.

We are to shout and sing for joy as fellow inhabitants of Zion, God’s city.

We are to shout and sing to each other to stir up our joy in Christ.

So, we are to sing for joy to God, to all the earth, and to each other.

And then he gives the reason we are to shout and sing for joy.

For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

This is the joy we celebrate at Christmas, and it’s the joy we look forward to at Jesus’ second coming.

Immanuel.

God with us.

The greatness of God… in… your… midst.

He came to earth to be in our midst.

And when he comes back he’ll be in our midst forever.

Even now, if you are a believer, then he is in your midst, living in your heart through the Holy Spirit.

Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

God with us, Immanuel!

Our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace!

Conclusion

So, as we’ve considered our joy in Christ in Isaiah chapter 12…

We saw how we are to rejoice individually because God has saved you from his wrath against your sin by sending his Messiah to save you.

And we saw how we are to rejoice together over the same thing, the gospel, God’s character and his deeds.

We are to rejoice and sing to God about his glorious deeds in the gospel.

We are to rejoice and make known throughout the whole earth his glorious deeds in the gospel.

And we are to rejoice and sing and shout to each other his glorious deeds in the gospel.

Does the gospel bring you joy?

Can you rejoice in Christ?

This was how Paul, from prison, could write in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Your joy in gift giving and family traditions won’t last forever.

Joy can be found for a little while in these things, but they are not your primary eternal source of joy.

Also, your lack of joy because of broken families or hard circumstances won’t last forever.

If you struggle to find joy, remember that your primary source of joy is not in your current earthly circumstances.

Your primary source of joy is in your eternal heavenly circumstances.

You are saved!

Whatever your lot, God has given you joy in Christ.

He has taught you through his Word to say that it is well with your soul!

So, find your joy in Christ by remembering the gospel.

Sing about it to God, to everyone, to each other.

If you haven’t yet put your faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, then please, do so now.

He’s the only way to be saved from God’s wrath against your sin.

He’s the only way to have true eternal joy.

And all you need to do is believe in him.

Believe that he is God who became human and died in your place, and then he rose from the dead all so that you could be forgiven and live in joy with him forever.

Pray