First Sunday after Christmas (2020)

Here before us is the prophet Isaiah who had foretold the birth fo this messiah, that he would of the stump of Jesse and that this branch from the roots would bear fruit as the Spirit of the Lord rests upon him, and grants to him all knowledge that He requires to rule the world justly.

But what does a passage like this mean for you, indeed there is much in here that is about Christ and what Christ how Christ will reign, but let us unpack it a bit to understand the wonderful gifts that are meant for your benefit.

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

In the first verse here, it tells us that Jesus will come from the stump of Jesse, now what does that mean? The magnificent tree of Jesse, that his descendants had been robbed of their power and majesty as they had fallen into sin, and idolatry. The nation that had been powerful under David and glorious during the time of Solomon had been chopped down by the time of Christ’s birth.

As the years went by the line of David had forsaken the truth, they had setup altars not only in the country and around the city but even in the temple itself. When good kings would come along, they would be followed by wicked kings who would forsake the worship of the Lord and go back into paganism. For that the Lord had made them slaves in a foreign nation so that they may no longer pollute the land with idolatry.

That is why Isaiah says here that it is a stump, the tree is gone, the line of David appears as if it were dead, and yet from it would spring that righteous branch, that shoot that would bear fruit whichis Christ who would establish the Kingdom of God forever and ever.

Now why should this encourage you? What is the state of mankind, are we a glorious tree, a flawless specimen filled with power and majesty? No as sinners we are stumps, dead in our trespasses and sins, and yet just as God could bring the dead stump of Jesse to life he can bring life to you as well, and He has through the fruit that came from the Son of Jesse, Jesus Christ. This why no matter how fallen a person might be no matter how far they strayed or for how long, there is yet hope, because it does not depend upon the life in the stump, but depends on the life that is in Christ to restore sinners.

2 And the Spirit of the Lordshall rest upon him,

the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

When you read the Gospel of St. Luke, you will find that the Holy Spirit is active and rests upon Christ and guides and leads him. It is one of the mysteries of the Trinity. But if you look at the Old Testament you will find that the Holy Spirit is at work and rested upon the Kings of Israel. This is a gracious thing for it means that this King shall not be ruled by his own desires and his own wants, but according to the Will of God.

This is perhaps seen most clearly on the night that Jesus bows down in the Garden to pray, where Jesus asks his heavenly father if it is possible for this cup to pass from him, yet not my will but yours be done. He humbled himself to the rule and authority that came from His Father and carried out the plan of God for the sake of mankind.

He used all this wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, and knowledge and fear of the Lord. To save you. That was the will of God that He submitted himself too though it would result in great and abundant turmoil, he weakened himself for your sake, and gave up His life so that you might live. Why is that? Well look at the very next 3verses.

3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

Now the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom, so that shall be his delight, for only a fool does not fear the Lord. Now that fear, is not the trembling and quaking though there is an element of that, but it is about the fact that God is the author of all creation. He is the one who established all things. He is the one who has authority over the sun, the moon, the stars, all the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, and over you. Not just authority over your body, but over your soul as well.

For your fate rests in his hands. C.S. Lewis put it very well in his Narnia series, when the little girl was asking if Aslan is safe. Mr. Beaver responded Safe? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.” So fear the Lord, know who He is in all his power and majesty, but also know that He is good.

That is shone by how Jesus decides disputes, he doesn’t judge by appearance, nor is he persuaded by fanciful or sweet words, but with righteousness, he judges the poor. All of the things that people try to use to gain advantage over one another in this life don’t matter when placed before him. He will decide with equity for the meek of the earth. Often the meek are trampled on in this life, but not when Jesus is judge. He shall judge according to the righteousness of God.

The earth he will strike with the Rod of His mouth, that is His Word, and with his breath he shall kill wicked. That means that even though evil men may escape the wrath of a king who passes sentence the wicked shall not be able to evade him. He shall bring them to an end.

How often have we lamented, when it seems as though evil people prosper in this life and get away with wrong doing. We know the frustration when people commit evil or lie and steal and cheat to get what they want. It is wrong, and it causes folks to lose heart. Whether this happens in court rooms of governments, at work, at school, or even in the home. One of the lamentable things that we find in this life is that life is not fair. Finally righteousness and faithfulness shall be what binds up his clothes, and they are always present with him wherever he goes and he is ready to act.

Now what does this all mean for you? In this world there are many who will encourage you to take advantage of the situation and to maximize your gain at the expense of what is right. They think that by doing this it proves that God is on their side. How can God be against something that feels right, or seems good? If God doesn’t immediately punish a person for it, they reason that if he does not punish a person for it immediately that he must in fact approve.

God is not giving permission, but bearing with them in patience. For God desires their repentance, that they come back from their sins. God is giving them time, when we speak of righteousness and faithfulness, God earnestly desires the salvation of all people, Christ desires the salvation of each and every person on this earth, but make no mistake He is still judge of the earth.

So you O Christian, do not lose heart when you see others committing sin around you, don’t be tempted the quick riches, or comforts that others enjoy when they take shortcuts and slack in their duties or take advantage of their neighbor. The earthly treasures will be of no use in the court of God. It will rather stand as a witness against them. So you too, must not think that you can talk your way out of this, nor can you buy the grace that you need. Rather trust in the one who judges justly, trust in the one who is not swayed by appearances, but will judge with righteousness. He will judge it according to His Word.

So you my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, do not be discouraged, when you see all the comforts and riches and ease that the world has at its disposable. The extra time that a person has on a Sunday Morning, or the extra Money they bring in by neglecting the Lord’s Day. These things do not win the favor of the judge over all Creation, rather trust in the gifts that He has given to you, and when you stand before you Him, you shall be declared righteous, because you are clothed in His own righteousness. In Jesus name. Amen.

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