•Isaiah 56:1-8
•Redemption for All
1 Thus says the LORD:
“Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my righteousness be revealed.
2 Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
(Isaiah 56:1-2, ESV)
3 Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am a dry tree.”
4 For thus says the LORD:
“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,
5 I will give in my house and within my walls
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.
(Isaiah 56:3-5, ESV)
6 “And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,
and to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it,
and holds fast my covenant—
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
for all peoples.”
8 The Lord GOD,
who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares,
“I will gather yet others to him
besides those already gathered.”
(Isaiah 56:6-8, ESV)
•Main Point
• These verses begin a new theme in Isaiah
• The first theme dealt with unfaithfulness
• The second dealt with God’s redemption and salvation
• Now we see what that salvation can lead to if embraced…but also if it is rejected
• Here we find it leads toa changed people, being faithful, finding righteousness, living out in justice
• The people are able to live just as God has called them to live all along
Application Points
• Redemption for All
• Just as His own people were in need of salvation, so too are the other nations
• Through the work of the Servant…all people are able to return to God
• The fulfillment of the Servant is through Jesus Christ
• In the book of Acts we find not only the Jewish people receiving salvation…so too the pagans
• Many may remember this story from Acts depicting what we find today in Isaiah…
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.
(Acts 8:26-39, ESV)
Application Points
• Redemption for All (2)
• The first interesting thing is how it relates so well to this passage in Isaiah
• He is a foreigner, and a eunuch
• He also had just gone to Jerusalem to worship
• This was a foreign eunuch who was already one who feared God
• The Ethiopian Eunuch immediately obeys and seeks baptism just as Christ commanded
• This all reminds us that the call to faithfulness sis one which everyone is called to
• This is not something which was only for a particular group of people, but all people are called to this obedience
• As we consider the Ethiopian Eunuch the promise is most clearly visible
• Though he was unable to have children…here we are remembering him
• And the joy he found in the salvation of Jesus
Application Points
• Redemption for All (3)
•Oftentimes we focus so much on the love of God and acceptance God gives to all people, that we forget all peoples are called to be changed
• True conversion leads to…justice, righteousness, and obedience
• We cannot separate the salvation of God by His grace the reality that transformation comes
• Too many believe that how they live is of less substance than if they prayed a prayer
• Faith brings repentance the same way the sun brings forth light
Application Points
• Redemption for All (4)
•God certainly accepts all those who come to Him
• Grace does not lead to a haphazard life, but righteous living
• Are we seeking to emulate those who have come before us?
• Are we willing to see that we are the foreigners and eunuchs?
• Are we prepared to follow God and seek to glorify Him through an obedient life?
• Our God deserves nothing less than absolute obedience from us
• He saves us so that we can be changed always for the good, always for the better
• When we fulfill our design, we will find our ultimate joy and fulfillment, because we will then be constantly reminded of the goodness of God
• Apart from God, however, we are nothing ore than foreigners and eunuchs
• A people without a home…without future
• Yet with God we find both for all eternity
Application Points
• Redemption for All (5)
•Are we going to turn from evil?
• Will we let God lead us by the hand into righteousness, justice, goodness, and even rest?
• All are welcome to these things
• All are welcome to be transformed by this salvation
• All are welcome to be gathered by God’s own hands into this redemption for all
Application Points
• The Gospel of Christ
• Origins
• Fall
• Redemption
• Glorification
