WEBVTT 00:00.700 --> 00:03.600 In the name of the Messianic Branch. 00:04.200 --> 00:04.700 Amen. 00:07.000 --> 00:11.500 Today, we will reflect upon the reading just heard from Isaiah Chapter 00:11.500 --> 00:13.800 4, verses 2 and following. 00:16.500 --> 00:20.800 We are blessed by these beautiful Christmas trees that Adorn our 00:20.800 --> 00:26.100 Sanctuary here. every year in Advent 00:26.100 --> 00:32.700 these are brought before us and point us to the coming of our Savior, 00:33.500 --> 00:34.600 The beautiful lights 00:34.600 --> 00:39.300 and this year we are added to the ornamentation of the Chrisman's 00:39.600 --> 00:43.800 which certainly enhance our worship space here. 00:45.300 --> 00:50.800 But you are probably aware that Christmas trees although no doubt the 00:50.800 --> 00:56.200 most ubiquitous and well, recognized symbols of Christmas around the 00:56.200 --> 00:58.600 world. Christmas trees 00:58.600 --> 00:59.800 do not originate 01:00.300 --> 01:06.100 in the Bible, there's no reference in the Bible that would signify 01:06.100 --> 01:09.000 something like a Christmas tree. 01:10.100 --> 01:15.500 The history of that development came later and the church as with 01:15.500 --> 01:18.200 many of its symbols has appropriated that. 01:18.200 --> 01:18.500 And 01:19.800 --> 01:20.400 properly 01:20.400 --> 01:23.100 so. I love Christmas trees. 01:24.800 --> 01:31.000 But there is one symbol of Christmas or more probably more precisely of 01:31.000 --> 01:32.700 symbol of Advent 01:32.700 --> 01:39.400 that is found numerous times in the Bible. At least three prophets 01:39.700 --> 01:43.100 Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah 01:44.000 --> 01:47.200 and at least seven different references 01:47.500 --> 01:50.700 use this symbol for the Advent. 01:52.000 --> 01:56.100 The symbol is a branch. 01:58.500 --> 01:59.600 Christmas tree. 02:00.600 --> 02:02.000 Advent branch. 02:05.600 --> 02:09.900 And the first time in which this symbol appears in the scriptures is 02:09.900 --> 02:16.000 our text today, Isaiah chapter 4 verse 2. 02:17.100 --> 02:23.200 It says in that day, the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and 02:23.200 --> 02:26.400 glorious. In that day. 02:26.500 --> 02:32.100 What day? It's referring to the day of the Lord, the day of his coming, 02:32.100 --> 02:34.100 the day of his Advent. 02:35.500 --> 02:41.300 And it will be signified by a branch, beautiful and glorious. 02:42.700 --> 02:45.500 Well, what's the significance of this branch? 02:45.500 --> 02:47.900 What's the meaning of the branch? 02:49.400 --> 02:53.200 The word here, translated branch in the Hebrew 02:53.200 --> 02:57.600 It's somack, and it's a distinctive kind of branch. 02:57.600 --> 02:58.900 It's a shoot. 03:00.000 --> 03:07.400 A shoot that comes out of a stump and in fact that's made explicit a few 03:07.400 --> 03:14.200 chapters later and Isaiah chapter 11 where he says a shoot will arise 03:14.200 --> 03:16.500 from the stump of Jesse. 03:17.500 --> 03:22.500 From his roots, a branch shall arise. Stump. 03:24.100 --> 03:26.900 Now, that's a symbol of judgment. 03:28.200 --> 03:33.100 And this was words were words that Isaiah was speaking to people of 03:33.100 --> 03:35.200 his day 700 years 03:35.200 --> 03:43.000 before Jesus. Words of impending judgment for their idolatry. For their 03:43.200 --> 03:48.200 rebellion and resistance against the will, and the law of God, their 03:48.200 --> 03:51.200 disobedience, their unfaithfulness. 03:52.600 --> 03:57.900 God was saying judgment would come and it would be like the toppling 03:57.900 --> 03:59.300 of a mighty tree. 04:00.000 --> 04:02.900 Cutting of a tree down to the stump. 04:04.000 --> 04:10.700 And it would come by an invading army. Just a couple of verses before 04:10.700 --> 04:11.300 our text 04:11.300 --> 04:16.100 this is what Isaiah says. Instead of perfume, there will be 04:16.100 --> 04:17.100 rottenness. 04:17.399 --> 04:23.700 And instead of a belt, a rope and instead of well set hair baldness. 04:24.900 --> 04:26.800 Well I don't know about that one. 04:29.600 --> 04:34.900 Instead of a rich robe a shirt of sack cloth and branding instead of 04:34.900 --> 04:40.600 beauty. Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty men in 04:40.600 --> 04:45.300 battle. And her Gates shall lament and mourn empty 04:45.700 --> 04:48.100 she shall sit on the ground. 04:49.100 --> 04:56.800 Jerusalem, Judah, empty sit on the ground like a stump. And of course 04:56.800 --> 04:59.500 this was fulfilled and 587 05:00.000 --> 05:02.200 when the Babylonians came and invaded 05:02.200 --> 05:08.600 the land destroyed Jerusalem, desolated the region of Judah and 05:08.600 --> 05:11.300 deported the people to Exile. 05:12.200 --> 05:17.800 But it was more than just the destruction of the city and of the 05:17.800 --> 05:22.100 people, it's also the monarchy. 05:23.400 --> 05:32.400 Because at that time, the King zedekiah was dethroned deported. 05:33.600 --> 05:42.100 And for 600 years, no Jewish King sat on the throne in Jerusalem. 05:43.300 --> 05:49.900 and so it seemed that the dynasty of David, the Covenant with David 05:50.200 --> 05:51.900 had been despoiled. 05:54.700 --> 05:59.200 We use to have a pear tree in our backyard and we were very hopeful 05:59.200 --> 05:59.800 that we would 06:00.000 --> 06:04.900 will the harvest luscious fruit from that tree but all that we got was 06:05.000 --> 06:14.000 inedible hard fruit, spotted fruit, misshapen fruit, not even the 06:14.000 --> 06:19.700 squirrels would touch this fruit. And so I just determined 06:22.900 --> 06:24.100 gone with this tree. 06:24.800 --> 06:26.700 I got my chainsaw out 06:26.800 --> 06:32.400 cut it up, the base, hauled the tree back to the brush pile. 06:33.900 --> 06:35.000 Forget that tree. 06:37.000 --> 06:40.300 And this is the scene of judgment here as well. 06:40.900 --> 06:49.800 That God comes to despoil Jerusalem, Judah, his people because of 06:49.800 --> 06:50.600 their sin. 06:52.100 --> 06:55.200 But it's not just them, it's us as well. 06:56.200 --> 06:59.800 Because the same imagery is used in the New Testament, Matthew 07:00.000 --> 07:06.000 Chapter 3, by John the Baptist. He calls the people to repent and he 07:06.000 --> 07:11.300 says if you don't repent, the axe is ready to be laid to the base of 07:11.300 --> 07:14.200 the tree and any tree that does not bear 07:14.200 --> 07:18.700 good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 07:20.100 --> 07:25.400 That's the message of Isaiah, it's the message of John, the Baptist to 07:25.400 --> 07:26.800 us as well. 07:28.200 --> 07:31.700 For our Rebellion against God. 07:31.900 --> 07:33.600 Our sense of self 07:33.600 --> 07:41.200 sufficiency. Our idolatry we too are at risk. 07:42.000 --> 07:48.300 And so we too must heed the message of Isaiah and John the Baptist 07:48.300 --> 07:49.400 repent. 07:50.600 --> 07:53.100 In this Advent repent. 07:54.900 --> 07:57.500 Repent of your rebellion. 08:01.400 --> 08:05.200 And so that certainly is a part of this image of the stump. 08:06.200 --> 08:08.000 But it's not the primary part. 08:08.800 --> 08:15.900 The primary part is the branch, the branch, the shoot that comes out 08:15.900 --> 08:16.900 of the stump. 08:17.400 --> 08:24.000 That's a symbol of renewal of new hope of life and restoration. 08:26.000 --> 08:29.600 And that's the image that we have here in our text. 08:31.200 --> 08:36.700 That from this seemingly dead stump new life, 08:36.799 --> 08:41.900 new hope will arise. A shoot a branch. 08:44.200 --> 08:49.200 This pear tree that I described for you, that I cut down, all was a 08:49.200 --> 08:51.800 stump, the next spring. 08:51.800 --> 08:56.100 I was cleaning up doing spring, cleaning leaves and stuff worth round, 08:56.100 --> 08:58.500 where that tree had been where the stump was. 08:58.700 --> 08:59.800 And I noticed 09:00.700 --> 09:02.400 a new shoot coming out. 09:03.700 --> 09:07.800 That tree wasn't dead and that shoots symbolized 09:08.600 --> 09:11.900 new life, new hope a new beginning. 09:13.800 --> 09:16.800 And this is the image that Isaiah uses here. 09:18.400 --> 09:22.400 A shoot arising out of the stump of Jesse. 09:24.100 --> 09:27.400 And that shoot first appeared 09:28.800 --> 09:35.400 almost 600 years after the fall of Jerusalem and the dethronement of 09:35.400 --> 09:36.200 the king. 09:37.400 --> 09:39.600 The throne had sit empty. 09:40.300 --> 09:46.200 It seemed like God's promises to David were null and void. 09:46.700 --> 09:49.800 It seemed like the Covenant was dead. 09:51.700 --> 09:54.000 But had only been dormant. 09:55.600 --> 09:59.800 And the shoot arose, when the angel Gabriel appeared to 10:00.000 --> 10:07.700 Mary and said you will give birth to the son, a son to the Messiah and 10:07.700 --> 10:10.100 he will sit on his father 10:10.100 --> 10:18.700 David's Throne, the root of Jesse. And his kingdom will have no end. 10:20.200 --> 10:27.400 This is the promise now, fulfilled the shoot arising the branch 10:28.100 --> 10:29.000 appearing. 10:31.600 --> 10:34.500 And this shoot would grow up 10:35.700 --> 10:36.600 and bear 10:36.600 --> 10:37.800 great fruit. 10:39.000 --> 10:46.000 He would live, die, rise again, ascend, be seated at the right hand of the 10:46.000 --> 10:51.600 father, as the true king of kings Lord of lords to rule forever. 10:54.300 --> 10:55.700 and for those who 10:56.900 --> 10:59.300 approach him in repentant faith 11:00.800 --> 11:02.800 there is fruit for them. 11:04.100 --> 11:07.300 This branch has little fruits on it. 11:09.600 --> 11:15.700 But the fruit that the Lord Jesus brings to us, is fruit that we need 11:15.700 --> 11:17.200 more than anything else. 11:18.500 --> 11:21.100 Our text here describes that fruit. 11:21.200 --> 11:25.300 It says, in that day, the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and 11:25.300 --> 11:31.600 glorious, and the fruit shall be the honor of the survivors of Israel. 11:33.000 --> 11:41.300 He now brings to us honor from our shame from our dishonor. And he who 11:41.300 --> 11:45.400 is left in, Zion and remains in Jerusalem, will be called 11:45.400 --> 11:52.900 Holy. Everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem. The true 11:52.900 --> 11:53.800 remnant 11:54.800 --> 11:59.600 Nnow who have turned to the Lord in Repentance who trust in him are 12:00.000 --> 12:03.000 given this fruit of holiness. 12:04.500 --> 12:07.500 Their sin is forgiven, your sin is forgiven. 12:09.100 --> 12:13.500 Christ's fruit of righteousness is imputed to you. 12:15.300 --> 12:17.500 And you have life. 12:19.300 --> 12:26.400 The symbol of new life of new hope, the fruit of righteousness and 12:26.400 --> 12:28.400 life for you. 12:29.900 --> 12:31.500 The Advent branch 12:32.600 --> 12:34.300 Bbrings hope to you. 12:38.500 --> 12:42.100 In just a few weeks, these beautiful Christmas trees will be 12:42.100 --> 12:47.600 dismounted and packed away for several more months until Advent 12:47.600 --> 12:53.300 appears again next year. But we do have a symbol of the Advent branch 12:53.700 --> 12:59.300 that is permanent here in our midst, in this Sanctuary. It's in the 12:59.500 --> 12:59.800 new 13:00.400 --> 13:04.600 stained glass windows and I call your attention to the one here on the 13:04.900 --> 13:10.700 south side of the Nave. And you see at the base there, the the scene of 13:10.700 --> 13:17.100 the Nativity of Mary and Joseph and the babe in the manger and you see 13:17.100 --> 13:22.500 how the profits above here have been pointing to his arrival. But I 13:22.500 --> 13:27.100 especially want you to look at what Joseph is holding in his hand. 13:28.000 --> 13:28.900 A staff. 13:29.300 --> 13:30.600 Well, that's not strange 13:30.600 --> 13:35.900 we typically see Joseph in nativity scenes holding a staff. But usually 13:35.900 --> 13:40.100 what we see is a staff of dead dry wood. 13:41.200 --> 13:42.200 Not this scene. 13:43.500 --> 13:47.300 The staff is a living branch. 13:48.700 --> 13:52.200 And the fruit is the Star of David. 13:53.000 --> 13:55.600 The branch from the root of Jesse. 13:57.200 --> 13:59.000 Because this one, 14:00.000 --> 14:08.000 the one who comes in a baby laid in a Manger, is the Advent of branch 14:09.400 --> 14:14.400 who brings to you his fruit of honor, 14:15.600 --> 14:17.900 holiness and life. 14:20.600 --> 14:24.000 In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 14:24.600 --> 14:25.200 Amen.