Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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I have already had to threaten to take my children’s Christmas presents away.
Their behavior has left much to be desired.
There are stages I go through when my kids and making them mind their behavior.
I may bargain or give a warning first.
Then they get a the consequence of their actions.
I also may talk to them to see why they acted or did what they did, and tell why their behavior was wrong.
The punishment is always more severe when they do something that they know they should not have done.
Thinking like a parent helps us understand why God’s wrath was so severe with Israel by the time of the exile.
The people seemed to has forgotten who their God is and the world around them was growing more threatening each and every day.
That sounds like our situation today, doesn’t it?
Pray and Read Isaiah 64:1-12
“Oh that you would”, is how this passage begins.
It is a cry for God!
An unwavering declaration for God to show up in a mighty way.
This cry is made without shame or concern for what others may think or what the consequences may be.
What Isaiah asks of God is for God to come down from heaven in a way that everyone would know and even quake with fear.
Isaiah has been declaring the warnings from God to the people of God for a long time and I am sure that he is tired and probably feels like he is not being heard.
Have you ever been in a situation where you have told something a piece of advice that you know would save their life or make things easier, just for the advice to not be heard?
I am that kind of mom that has told my kids, “Wait til your daddy gets home!”
I have already talked to them about their behavior and the consequences, but I know that their dad will drive home the point.
This is the impression I get from Isaiah in reading this chapter.
It is like Isaiah is telling the Hebrew people, just wait to God comes here.
Isaiah is not just warning them that God is coming, but is actually desiring His coming more and more each passing day.
We have talked about Israel’s cycle of behavior before.
When everything is going well, God blesses His people greatly.
The people are grateful for a time, but everyday life leads them to take those blessings for granted and they start relying on themselves thinking that they can keep the blessings going.
Of course they cannot, they fail and make mistakes and stop relying on God.
Their wellbeing and the whole kingdom falls into dismay.
They then start to plead to God for restoration and forgiveness.
God forgives them and begins to help them build back up to the amazing kingdom that they were designed to be, always.
With this cycle of behavior, they seem to forget on important thing, their own need for righteousness.
You see, if they strived for righteousness, they would never forget where the blessings cam from and they would be obedient to God with all they are and with all they have.
Then, they would be holy unto God and the strengths and success of the kingdom would never end.
This is why God was their King.
Because God reigns over His people the best since His love endures and is perfect.
When Israel had a king, whether it was King David or King Hezekiah, those kings were human with faults and lead their people based on their own wants and wisdom.
Israel needed a King that was as perfect as God and would reign in their presence with all the power and love as God.
In the text we read for our Advent Candle Lighting which is from Jeremiah, states that a Righteous Branch shall spring up for God’s people.
The Hebrew word used here is “sprout”.
A sprout or twig from David’s Tree.
A sprout is a tiny twig, a small growth from a tree.
So now think about how Jesus came to us the first time.
He was born as a baby, a descendant of King David.
Yet, this promised Twig would be born and would grow up, and would forever be perfectly righteous.
Our righteousness is fading like a leaf.
We today are like the Hebrew people during the time of Isaiah.
We remember when God was here.
They remember the stories of Moses and Abraham who talked to God one on one.
They remember the glory days of their kingdom when their King was righteous, like David and Solomon.
Yet, the world seems to be getting worse around them.
The few who are loyal to God, like Isaiah long for the days when God was very present in their lives.
As Christians, we look fondly on the time when Jesus came to earth and His words and works of redemption were prevalent in the land.
We remember the tells of the Apostles who spread the Good News, even in the face of persecution and the church grew by the thousands.
Now, we see a world where our morals are tested and our beliefs are questioned.
So now we say, “Come Lord Jesus, come!”
Like Isaiah in his time, Christians all over the world are craving for God to return.
Today, we light the candle of Hope, and we remember from whom comes our hope.
Yet, we have a new promise.
A promise different then what was given to Isaiah.
For that Righteous Branch is still with us.
We are not righteous, but we have the One who is.
We cannot be holy on our own.
But we have the One who leads us to Holiness.
We still live in this fallen world, there are times of peril and persecution, but we know this is not the end of our story.
We may live in exile on this planet it seems, but even here, our God shows His love, grace, and mercy.
Often times, God shows up through us in our love towards one another.
God shows us in the blessings of His people.
Our Holy One, Jesus is coming soon.
Yet, our redemption already happened when Christ was born and died thousands of years ago.
Yet, even now, He lives.
Jesus has given His spirit, His presence to be with us now and forever.
So to pray as Isaiah prayed, for God to forgive our iniquities, to show up and deliver us from our enemies, and to not leave us has already been given to us.
God is with His people.
Our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit, and God is alive in us.
As we speak about the goodness of God, God is alive in us.
As we forgive others and share mercy, God is alive in us.
As we allow God to mold us into His perfect creation, we show the world the our God is alive and well.
The history of our Christian faith is not perfect.
We have made mistakes, yet God is still working for our good and molding His Church into a holy and righteous people.
Don’t ever loose hope, yet still cry out to God for His righteousness and grace.
In the name of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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