The Big Read – Isaiah

Powerpoint Pictures: Toddlers; Stormtroopers; War Horses; Planes & Tanks; Mud Hut; Castle; Wooden Idol; Superhero

Imagine that a powerful enemy is threatening to attack this community you are living in. Think about who you’d like to defend you – who if you had a choice you’d choose to protect you.

Would you choose an army of toddlers or an army of stormtroopers?

Would you choose to have men on horses or men in planes and tanks fight for you?

Would you choose to take cover in a mud hut or in a castle?

Would you choose a little wooden statue or a superhero to lead you into battle?

You would choose the more powerful option, wouldn’t you?

Now the people of Judah were facing invasion from the Assyrian army, the most powerful enemy of the day, but instead of trusting in God to protect them and defend them, they chose to trust in all the wrong things, whether it be idols, themselves, their leaders or other nations.

So the prophet Isaiah speaks to the people with a message from God, which we find in the book of Isaiah, and the message is simple: Trust in God alone.

Trust in God alone because if you don’t, it will end badly for you. Listen to what Isaiah said to King Ahaz: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7:9)

If you don’t trust in God, you’ll end up in trouble, and sadly for the people of Judah they did end up in a mess and they were exiled to Babylon.

But God also says through Isaiah, that in the future, if the people of Judah were to trust in God, they would have a wonderful future.

Why?

Because God’s Servant-King is coming who will save you from your sins, including all the times you’ve failed to trust God alone.

And this Servant-King has now come.

Jesus is God’s Servant-King that Isaiah spoke of, and He will save us from our sins if we trust in Him. But if we don’t, like it ended badly for the people of Judah, it will end badly for us as well.