January 5, 2024 "The Timeless Truth About Justice And Renewal"

ReNew Ames Messages

We'll start out here by talking about the false narrative around prophets. They were not fortune tellers or predictors of the future. They were primarily truth tellers. We are jumping into the first of a four part sermon series that Isaiah gives on The Servant of the Lord. First, the context. The Israelites were in Babylonian captivity - living in a foreign and dangerous land. And Isaiah says that God is sending a servant who will bring justice and God's teaching to the world. But who the heck is Isaiah talking about? First, he's telling the truth about Israel. Israel is the chosen nation that will represent God in the world. They will bring about justice - they will bring God's teaching. And of course, we know they did because we still know about God and God's relationship to Israel and the world. Second, he's telling the truth about Jesus. Now, did Isaiah know about Jesus? No. But because God's truth is timeless it gets fulfilled in Jesus as well. This passage connects to the baptism of Jesus passage in Matthew - many of the same words are used to describe Jesus. Finally, he's telling the truth about us. We are now the body of Christ. We now bring God's justice and teaching into the world. Did Isaiah predict that? No. But we now get to embody Jesus in the world. Speaker: Aaron Vis Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9 http://bible.com/events/49372073