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Isaiah & Christ Introduction: Isaiah means "salvation is of the Lord." He lived during a time when Israel and Judah were both threaten by Assyria. Eventually the Northern 10 tribes would be captured and taken into captivity. Judah was attacked and Jerusalem was surrounded by Assyrian armies. In this lesson we want to understand the times of Isaiah and some of prophecies of the Messiah and the church. I) Background A) Date of Isaiah – 740 to 700 BC B) Kings he lived under, Isaiah 1.1 1. Uzziah, generally considered a good king but he became proud in the later part of his life and attempted to light the incense in the temple. For his transgression he was struck with leprosy. 2. Jotham, the problem of Israel in 2 Kings 15.34, Pekah and Syria attack Judah 3. Ahaz, a bad king, Syria captured part of Judah, took captives a. Ahaz made a covenant with Assyria to try and defeat Syria; others wanted Ahaz to make a covenant with Egypt. b. Isaiah told Ahaz to trust in God, Isaiah 7.3,9 4. Hezekiah, considered a good king, Assyria comes to capture Jerusalem, Isaiah 36. a. Assyrian leader taunts Israel and God, Isaiah 36.7,8 b. Isaiah delivers God’s word, Isaiah 37.6,7 c. Its fulfillment, Isaiah 37.36-38 d. Instead of being captured by Assyria or Syrian they would be defeated by Babylon, Isaiah 39.6-7; this after Hezekiah showed the treasures of the temple to men from Babylon, Isaiah 39.1-4. e. A remnant shall return during the days of Cyrus, Isaiah 44.28 C) Spiritual condition of Israel 1 The people were given over to idolatry, Isaiah 42.17 "trusted in carved images" 2. Ahaz sacrificed his son, 2 Kings 16.3, 4. 3. Ahaz built an altar in Jerusalem patterned after an altar in Assyria, 2 Kings 16.10ff II) Christ In Isaiah A) Isaiah often quoted in the New Testament 1. John the Baptist being a forerunner, preparing the way of the Lord, Matthew 3.3; Isaiah40.3 2. Isaiah 42 is quoted in Matthew 12.17-21 3. The hardness of the hearts of the people, Matthew 13.14 4. The hypocrisy of the people, Matthew 15.7 5. Jesus having the Spirit of the Lord, Luke 4.17-21 B) The establishment of the church, Isaiah 2.2-3 1. When? In the "later days" 2. Where? From Jerusalem 3. What shall go forth? The law from Mount Zion 4. For whom? All nations shall flow to it" 5. All was fulfilled in the gospel being preached on the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2. a. Time "in the last days" v. 17 b. Place "Jerusalem" c. What happened? The gospel was preached, Acts 1.8 d. For whom? Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord, Acts 2.21 C) The Branch 1. The Branch of the Lord, Isaiah 4.2 2. Isaiah 11.1 traces the Branch back to Jesse, the father of David 3. Zechariah shows the importance of this Branch in Zechariah 6.12-13 D) The Virgin Birth, Isaiah 7.14 1. This was to be a "sign" in the setting God is proving to Ahaz that Judah would not be conquered by Pekan and Syria, Isaiah 7 2. God tells Ahaz to ask for a "sign" so he would know this is true and Ahaz refuses, Isaiah 7.11, 13. 3. God then gives a sign of a child being born of a virgin, his name will be Immanuel a. Mary was a virgin, Matthew 1.18, 19; Luke 1.26-38 (34) b. Immanuel, Matthew 1.21; Luke 1.35 E) Isaiah 9.6-7 the character of the Christ 1. Wonderful means amazing 2. Counselor – one to advise others, to counsel 3. Mighty God- Jesus was the Son of God, deity in the flesh, John 1ff 4. Everlasting Father – eternal protector 5. Prince of Peace – Jesus came to establish peace between man and God F) The Suffering Savior 1. The Ethiopian Eunuch was reading from Isaiah 53.1-9; Acts 8.32-33,35 2. Describing the way Jesus was treated and His death G) A New Name, Isaiah 62.2-3 1. Fulfilled in Acts 11.26 2. The name "Christian" used in Acts 26.28; 1 Peter 4.16. Conclusion: The darker the hour the brighter the light. During the days of Isaiah the light was dimming. Israel was defeated by Syria and Judah was weakening both militarily and morally. Isaiah points at the event capture and restoration of Judah but the coming of the Savior. He would do what the great kings could not "turn the heart of the people toward God." Jesus came to turn the hearts of men toward God. How about your heart? Isaiah1.18-19 D.T. @ Westside Church of Christ 02.04.07 |