Jesus’ Coming Leads Us to Sing Joyfully
Advent 4
Dec. 20, 2015
Isaiah 12:1-6
Pastor Hanneman
What is your favorite type of song? Music has a way of stirring up our emotions unlike anything
else. A song can bring back memories that we have long forgotten. Music can make any situation truly
joyful, heartfelt, or somber. With the right song you can make any moment in life go from being a simple
event to memorable.
Even if someone doesn’t really like to sing and even isn’t a big music fan we all have to admit
that music is still important and is very useful for expressing oneself.
Over the years God’s people have found music to be a great medium to expressing their love for
God. The book of Psalms is filled with hymns of praise to the Lord for all the great things he has done.
During this time of Christmas, we are reminded of a few songs sang before and after the birth of Jesus.
Songs like Zechariah’s, Simeon’s, the angel’s, and Anna’s. Who can forget the song Mary sang when her
emotions over the prospect of giving birth to the Savior of the world overflowed out of her soul?
Music is truly a blessing and a great way to show our love for God. I bet that it would be of no
surprise to us, if we were to find out that some of our favorite songs came from a hymnal or song book
dedicated to worshiping our Savior.
Isaiah today sings a song of praise to our God for the same reason we sing to our God. However,
Isaiah sang at a time when life didn’t seem like it had anything worth singing about. We might feel the
same way today when we view what is happening in our lives and in the world around us. But we can still
sing joyfully, like Isaiah, for the same reason we sing at Christmas and Easter, because Jesus came to this
earth for us, and Jesus’ coming leads us to sing joyfully.
The times were not very great for God’s people during the ministry of Isaiah. Many of the people
were nervous about the other nations surrounding them. They didn’t know if they would be attacked and
if attacked if they would survive.
God had promised through Isaiah that they didn’t need to fear these nations because he was
stronger than all the world. If they would put their trust in God, then they would be safe. Unfortunately,
the people wouldn’t listen and tried to find assurances through alliances with other nations. They didn’t
trust that God would protect them.
This wasn’t the proudest moment for the people of God, but despite all this Isaiah breaks into
song. Why did Isaiah sing at this time? There wasn’t much to be happy about. The people were falling
away and they were going to be punished by God for not trusting in him.
Isaiah sings because despite the people’s sins, Isaiah knew that one day the people would realize
that they could trust in God. Isaiah realized that God had something great in store for the world and that
everything was going to be just fine. What was it that led Isaiah to sing?
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2The 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—3and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4but with
righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will
strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5
Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
Isaiah heard the promise of a Savior and this led Isaiah to sing for joy in our lesson for today. It is
a song that we can sing as well because we know that this Root of Jesse, Jesus Christ, came and did
everything that Isaiah sings about.
It is amazing how often the people of Israel just kept on trying to find other sources of comfort
when their God was right there with them to protect them and save them. That was one of the struggles
the prophets had with the people. This was a complete rejection of God because they were not relying on
him who was their only source of strength.
But, just as much as we can shake our heads at the people in Isaiah’s day, we know that we must
also shake our heads at ourselves. Our God is in our midst, living within us as his temple, living all
around us as our Protector, Guide, and Savior and yet, how often do we look elsewhere for our security
and comfort?
Is our world any different than it was in Isaiah’s day? Aren’t we living at a time when we feel that
we can’t trust the surrounding nations. Who do we turn to for help and confidence that everything will be
ok in our generation and the next?
We might look to the government to take care of us and protect us instead of God, but we soon
find out, if we haven’t already, is that our government can’t always be trusted to defend us. Sinful human
beings are running our country and can often times be led to make decisions and rules that put us and
others at risk.
We might look to our families but there too we find that we can’t always trust our family to come
through even if they have the best of intentions. Besides not always being able to help, our family will not
always be there in our lives as death will take us all until Jesus returns.
We might look to our possessions and savings, but these will spoil and fade eventually and maybe
even be taken from us in a moment’s notice by disaster and thief.
We finally might even look to ourselves, but what are we? We are poor sinners in need of a
Savior. We can’t possibly be able to help.
What we must realize is that there is nothing in this world, including ourselves, that can truly
come through for us or anyone to give what is most needful. The people of Israel tried to find it through
others, but only found themselves disappointed and lost spiritually. If we look anywhere other than the
only one who can help us, we will be met with disappointment and finally will be lost spiritually if we
continue to be blind.
Instead, look to the only one who can help and see the salvation that is yours now and forever.
See with joy what Isaiah saw long before Jesus ever came. We know that Isaiah’s prophecy is true. We
know that Jesus, the root of Jesse, came as God promised and saved us from sins.
Listen to Isaiah’s song to the Lord: “I will praise you, O LORD. Although you were angry with
me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2Surely God is my salvation; I will trust
and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.”
In that day of Jesus’ coming, God would no longer be mad at us but will come to comfort us.
Why? Was God not going to care about our sins any longer? No, God still hates sin and hates those who
love to sin or think that sin is ok. God is never going to change his mind about sin. Sin must be punished
and therefore God punished sin. But for us to be comforted we couldn’t be punished long enough to
eventually get to heaven. Someone else needed to come and be punish for us.
That someone who came for us is our God. Isaiah tells us plainly that God is our salvation. We
find salvation in no one else. Isaiah would later tell us, as if he saw the event before his eyes, how God
would save us from our sins, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6We
all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”
Only God could save us and he did despite how angry he was over our sins. He showed us that
his love is much bigger than we can ever imagine. It is because of his love that we are saved. It is because
of his love that we will never be left alone. He continues to remain with us. He continues to protect us and
care for us and to help us stay safe on this earth spiritually so that we will receive the crown of life in
heaven.
This is why we can sing our glad songs to the Lord because Jesus came and saved us just like he
promised he would. It might not come as a surprise to us as well that some of our favorite hymns are
Christmas and Easter/Lenten hymns because it is at these times we focus primarily on the promises God
made and kept in regards to our salvation.
Isaiah saw that despite what was happening that God wasn’t going to abandon the world but
instead was going to send a Savior to make us right with God so we and all the world can sing joyfully
today and forever.
Praise the Lord and always call on him in prayer because he is the only one who can help. Don’t
rely on anyone else solely but trust that God will be there to use the people and circumstances around us
to help us hold onto our salvation.
Always remind yourself of God’s love, not just at Christmas and Easter, by refreshing yourself in
the springs of living water found in God’s Word. Tell the world about the good news the angels
exclaimed to the shepherds so that everyone will be able to sing and rejoice with us over the majestic
work of our God for all people. Sing to the Lord your songs of praise for he has saved us from our sins
and has given you, eternal life. Amen.