Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10

Messiah Selection 38. (soprano/alto/chorus): How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things. (Isaiah 52: 7; Romans 10: 15)

Isaiah 53

Messiah Selections: 23. (alto) He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. …He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to them that plucked off His hair: He hid not His face from shame and spitting. He was despised…[repeat]  (Isaiah 53:3, 6) 24. (chorus) Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows! He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him. (Isaiah 53: 4-5) 25. (chorus) And with His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53: 5)26. (chorus) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53: 6) 31. (soprano or tenor) He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgressions of Thy people was He stricken. (Isaiah 53: 8)

Isaiah 40:9-11

Messiah Selection 9: O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God! (Isaiah 40:9)

Messiah Selection 20. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young. (Isaiah 40:11) Come unto Him, all ye that labour, come unto Him that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest. Take his yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11: 28-29)

I thankful to Violet Wilkins for singing Messiah selection twenty to introduce the sermon text.

Isaiah 35

Messiah Selection 19. Recitative for alto voice: Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing. (Isaiah 35: 5-6)

Isaiah 60:1-3

Messiah Selections 9b. Alto and Chorus “Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60: 1) … 10. Bass voice “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” (Isaiah 60: 2-3) Kevin Wilkins sang selection ten prior to the sermon.

Isaiah 7

Messiah Selection 8. Recitative for Alto

Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us. (Isaiah 7: 14; Matthew 1: 23)

Isaiah 40:1-5

This sermon begins a series on biblical texts from the oratorio Messiah.

2. Accompagnato Tenor

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness; prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40: 1-3)

3. Air. Tenor

Ev'ry valley shall be exalted, and ev'ry mountain and hill made low; the crooked straight and the rough places plain. (Isaiah 40: 4)

4. Chorus

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40: 5)

Isaiah 6:8-13

Isaiah’s cleansing prepares him for commissioning as the Lord’s prophet.

Isaiah 6:1-7

Dorothy Sayers wrote of “the drama of dogma,” and this passage is a fine example of biblical drama that affirms important dogma, or teaching.

Isaiah 44:6-8

This passage from the book of Isaiah seemed appropriate for a New Year’s Day worship service.

Isaiah 9:1-7

There is an exciting back story to this wonderful text, and an after story as well!

Isaiah 9:6, Prince of Peace

With this message, we come to the fourth and climactic name for this son who is given: Prince of Peace. As was the case with the three other names, this name is rich in meaning.

Isaiah 9:6, Everlasting Father

Remarkably, Isaiah prophesies that the Anointed One is named “Father Forever.”

Isaiah 9:6, Mighty God

The child born and the son given is God the Mighty One who exercises his might on behalf of his people.

Isaiah 9:6, Wonderful Counselor

This sermon considers the first of four names for Jesus that reveal his divine nature.

Matthew 8:17-18 Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Matthew was inspired to point us to Jesus’ fulfillment of the “Servant Song” of Isaiah 52:13-53:12.

Isaiah 9:1-7

Here from Isaiah is another prophecy that is especially appropriate during the Christmas season. (Due to a mistake on my part, the sermon was not recorded during worship, so I preached it again this afternoon for recording.)

Isaiah 7

In Isaiah chapter seven, we find one of the most notable prophecies of Jesus Christ in an unlikely setting.

Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6 records one of the most memorable of visions in the Old Testament. Isaiah is given a revelation of God’s holiness and his own sin before being commissioned to his prophetic role.

Isaiah 1

Passages from Isaiah will be used for sermons through the month of December. Today’s message considers the first chapter, with a focus on verse eighteen.