Audio Recording

Sermon Outline

Speaker: Rev. Tim Chang
Sermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord

Isaiah 29:9-24 (ESV)
9 Astonish yourselves and be astonished;
    blind yourselves and be blind!
Be drunk, but not with wine;
    stagger, but not with strong drink!
10 For the Lord has poured out upon you
    a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes (the prophets),
    and covered your heads (the seers).

11 And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12 And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

13 And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
    and honor me with their lips,
    while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
14 therefore, behold, I will again
    do wonderful things with this people,
    with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
    and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

15 Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
    whose deeds are in the dark,
    and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”
16 You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
    “He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
    “He has no understanding”?

17 Is it not yet a very little while
    until Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field,
    and the fruitful field shall be regarded as a forest?
18 In that day the deaf shall hear
    the words of a book,
and out of their gloom and darkness
    the eyes of the blind shall see.
19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
    and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless shall come to nothing
    and the scoffer cease,
    and all who watch to do evil shall be cut off,
21 who by a word make a man out to be an offender,
    and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
    and with an empty plea turn aside him who is in the right.

22 Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:

“Jacob shall no more be ashamed,
    no more shall his face grow pale.
23 For when he sees his children,
    the work of my hands, in his midst,
    they will sanctify my name;
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob
    and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 And those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
    and those who murmur will accept instruction.”

Sermon Outline

1. The inner threat of indifference (v. 9-12)

v. 9-10: Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink! For the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers).
v. 11-12: 11: And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” And when they give the book to one who cannot read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot read.”

2. The inner threat of pride (v. 13, 15-16)

v. 16: You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
v. 13: And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.
v. 15: Ah, you who hide deep from the LORD your counsel, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?”

3. The rescue we need from the outside (v. 14, 17-24)

v. 14: Therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder.
v. 22-23: Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.

Prayer of Confession
Heavenly Father, there are real threats all around us, but we fail to admit that we ourselves are a threat. We struggle with indifference and do not marvel at how wonderful you are. We struggle with pride and make too much of ourselves. Instead of seeing people for their innate worth, we strip them of their dignity and see them as objects. We look to you as a means for our personal gain. But how amazing is your grace that you rescue us when we do not deserve it, and you extend mercy even though we deserve judgment. May your grace and patience towards us transform our hearts and minds to be more like Jesus. We pray this in his name. Amen.

Questions for Reflection

What connected with you from the sermon or the passage?
Have you felt indifference towards God? How did that affect your life at the time?
How do you see indifference as a threat?
In what ways do you struggle with pride? How does that affect your relationships with other people?
How have you looked to God to get things from him more so than worshiping him?
Of all the things that God has given us that we do not deserve, what resonates the most for you at this time? His kindness, his patience, his rescue, his compassion, etc? Meditate on this and allow your heart to be moved to worship.
What do you sense God calling you to do from this passage?

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Isaiah Sermon Series