Criswell
Theological Review 7.2 (1994) 91-101
[Copyright © 1994 by
digitally prepared for use at
Gordon and
PREACHING FROM ISAIAH
AL FASOL
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Soon after
His forty-day temptation in the wilderness of
worshipped at
the synagogue in
Jesus read
aloud from Isa 61:1-2 and announced, "This day
is this
Scripture
fulfilled in your ears" (Luke
ers of NT books held the book of Isaiah in
obvious high esteem. Quo-
tations from Isaiah appear in all four gospels,
Acts, several of Paul's
letters, and
1 Peter. The NT writers as well as Jesus Himself saw Isaiah
as a
rich source book of prophetic utterances relating to the day of
Christ.
Preaching from Isaiah is a joyful prospect, but what a daunting
task!
Sixty-six chapters of beautifully written, perfectly constructed,
thought-provoking prophecy! In some ways the book of Isaiah is like a
beautiful
symphony or a breathtaking landscape--it needs to be seen
and
heard, not described! Yet, God has called us to proclaim His word.
So surely,
then, we can find some means of preaching this majestic book.
A study of the purpose of the book of Isaiah is an important first
step.
Such a study will determine if the book has a central theme or a
specific,
objective. "Theological truth always has an end in view in the
lives of people."l
Therefore, the true aim of a biblical book is what the
author
(Author) desires to happen in the experience of the readers in
response to
its truth.2
Most commentaries on Isaiah include a study of the purpose of
the
book. Lange viewed the purpose as an announcement of ". . . the
whole
great period of salvation. . . . For although Isaiah is not silent in
regard to
the judgments that threaten either
1 Brown,
Clinard, Northcutt, Fasol, Steps
to the Sermon, Revised (
man,
1996) 67.
2 Ibid.
92 CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL REVIEW
the
proclamation of salvation is the proper contents of his discourses."3
One of the
early
". . . was charged with the denunciation of his country's offenses.
. . . He
sought to
revive in his countrymen reverence for, and trust in, the
Lord, of Whose holiness and majesty he himself had so profound a
sense. . .
. "4 G. Buttrick perceived that the
purpose of the book of Isaiah
was to
indict an apostate nation: "For this was Isaiah called, that in the
name and
by the authority of God he might confront his people with
their sin,
declare the imminence of their judgment, awaken their pen-
itence, and preach the gospel of redeeming
mercy."5
Isaiah's purpose, then, was to confront
plight and
to proclaim God's awesome plan to save His people from
their
sins. This information is crucial to preparing sermons from the
book of
Isaiah. The texts selected for this article focus on the positive
message of
Isaiah. The message of judgment is not ignored, but empha-
sis is
given to God's love and His salvation. The message of judgment
should be
alluded to in order for the congregation to appreciate the mes-
sage of
love. However, I have left it to the individual preacher as to how
and how
much of the message of judgment should be included in each
sermon.
Book sermons are always difficult to prepare but often beneficial
to
the
congregation. A sermon on an entire book of the Bible can do little
more than
highlight the contents. This is especially true for the book of
Isaiah.
However, a sermonic overview of a book equips the congrega-
tion to receive future sermons from that book
much more effectively.
A book
sermon gives the congregation a sense of confidence because
the book
sermon gives them a "handle" on the book. A book sermon re-
moves, to
a large extent, a sense of intimidation the congregation may
feel
about studying a book such as Isaiah. A book sermon helps the
congregation see how a series of sermons from the book relate to one
another.
Here is a summary of a sermon on the book of Isaiah:
Isaiah has been described as the Paul of
the Old Testament. His book
has salvation by faith as a theme. His name means salvation of God.
He
evidently was born of a high ranking family. His
ministry was to the kings,
his preaching in the palaces of the Southern Kingdom in the 8th
century
before Christ.
3 J. P.
Lange, "The Prophet Isaiah," A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures
(Edin-
burgh: T.
& T. Clark, 1878) 15.
4
Walter Locke, “The book of the Propbet Isaiah," The
Westminster Commentaries
(London:
Methuen & Co., 1911) XIX.
5 George
Buttrick, "The Book of Isaiah," The
Interpreter's Bible (
don,
1939) 165.
Al Fasol: PREACHING FROM ISAIAH 93
I. Prophecies concerning
and
promises of restoration, 1-12. Chapter 1 is an introduction in which
Isaiah
mentions thoughtfulness, formalism in worship, pardon and judg-
ment. Chapters 2-4 contain three pictures of
and
eventual purification. Chapter 5 uses a beautiful analogy to confront
are
warnings against political entanglement with
trust in
the Lord.
2. Chapters 13-23 contain oracles of judgment and salvation con-
cerning several nations whose fortunes affect
that it
is useless for them to resist the Assyrian empire or the will of God.
God used the
Assyrians and later the Babylonians and Persians to bring
judgment and
to accomplish his will.
3. Chapters 24-27 are closely related to 13-23. It is a prediction
of
world
judgment resulting in the redemption of
the
necessity of divine discipline and redemption that awaits the faithful.
Isaiah looks
forward to redemption and speaks of it in present tense.
4. Chapters 28-35 contain a cycle of prophetic warnings against
al-
liance with
warnings are
pronounced as six woes.
5. Chapters 36-39 contain history, prophecy and song intermingled.
These
chapters are almost identical to 2 Kgs 18:13-20:19.
Isaiah prophe-
sied that
on
6. Chapters 40-66 are prophecies of comfort, salvation, and of the
fu-
ture glory awaiting
ity through a Persian King; chapters 49-57
describe the sufferings of the
Servant;
chapters 58-66 are yet to be fulfilled. They announce the eradica-
tion of all national distinctions and the
future glory of the people of God.
The preacher needs to weave transition sentences between each
of the
divisions and subdivisions. For example: The first section ends
with a
recommendation to trust in the Lord. The second section,
chaps.
13-23, tests
this trust. In section two we see how God planned to use
Gentile nations to bring judgment on
easy, but
trust in God is always necessary.
The preacher must decide whether to make application to the con-
gregation at the end of each section or to make
application only in the
conclusion.
Specific application must be determined by the needs of a
specific
congregation.
Before looking at other specific sermon suggestions, a few words
must be
said about the nature of a biblical text. The custom of preach-
ing on a particular portion of the Scripture
which we call a text proba-
bly dates back to Neh
8:8: "So they read in the book in the law of God
distinctly, a
gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading"
(KJV). The
word text is taken from a Latin word textus
which means
94 CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL REVIEW
a web. The verb form is texere
which means to weave. The biblical text
supplies the
loom and the fabric from which the sermon is woven. Our
working
definition of a text then will be: a complete unit of biblical
thought from
which the sermon is developed or woven. In this article,
our
selection of texts for preaching from Isaiah are chosen so as to
comprehensively cover the book of Isaiah without unduly repeating
the
recurring themes throughout the book.
1:1-20
Lessons for a Wayward Nation
Isaiah 1:1-20 offers a good starting text. This passage reads like
an
overture of
chaps. 1-39, setting the tone for the theme and variations
to follow.
Isaiah opens his book with God's indictment of
2-4 reveal
God's grief over the ungrateful and rebellious attitude of
His chosen people. Verses 5-9 picture the despair that sin brings. This
ingratitude and
misery makes worship an empty ritual (vv 10-15). God
exhorts His
people to accept His salvation which is graphically de-
scribed in vv
18-20.
Verse 17a, "learn to do well,” provides an umbrella phrase
that
generally
covers the preceding verses as well as the remaining verses
of the
text. An umbrella phrase such as this one often helps us orga-
nize our sermon. In this case God taught
for not
remembering who God is ("I have nourished and brought up
children and
they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his
owner,
and the
ass his master's crib; but
God also
invited
sermon has
two divisions: God's lessons from history, and God's lessons
in
current events.
Thus, the text has provided the loom and the fabric for our sermon:
Text: Isa 1:1-20
(focal passage
1:17a)
Title: God's Lessons for a Wayward Nation
I. God's lessons from history (1:1-16. Focal passage vv 2-3)
brought
related to rebellion against God.
II. God's lessons in current events (
God is ready to redeem
and be blessed (v 19).
lion against God to obedience to God.
5:1-7 Rich
Soil--Bitter Harvest
Isaiah 5:1-7 continues this review of
sage
relates
ble and allegory but is stated to be in the
form of a song (v 1). "My
Al Fasol: PREACHING FROM ISAIAH 95
wellbeloved" (v 1) is God. The vineyard's
identity is "the house of
and the
men of
vineyard to
produce abundant fruit. The husbandman laments that this
well
tended vineyard brought forth only "wild grapes" (v 2). A rhetori-
cal
question is asked, "What more could I have done?" (v
4). The implied
answer is,
of course, that nothing else could have been done. There is no
excuse for
appointed Him
with "wild grapes." Instead of nourishing fruit,
became junk
food.
Since the text is really a sermon in itself, perhaps we should seek
a
sermonic form that enhances the application of the text. Parallels to
the
vineyard song may be found in the history of our own nation.
Text: Isa 5:1-7
Title: Rich Soil--Bitter Harvest
Any farmer will tell you the better the soil and climate, the better
the
harvest. Agriculture has often served as a figure of speech for de-
scribing
The same
figures of speech can be used to describe the spiritual his-
tory of
the
seeds of freedom to worship ("My wellbeloved
hath a vineyard in
a very
fruitful hill"). God blessed the expansion of the colonies so that
vided
abundant natural resources so that the nation could grow ("and
gathered the
stones thereof and planted the choicest vine") both eco-
nomically and militarily ("and built a tower
in the midst of it").
Just think, if God had not blessed
crime
(cite recent FBI crime statistics and recent cases of nations lead-
ers indicted for graft); we would suffer from
oppression and hunger
(cite recent statistics on number of people, especially
children, who re-
ceive less than adequate daily dietary intake);
our religious organi-
zations would suffer from the false teaching of
the few whose selfish
ambitions hurt
the cause of Christ; our public entertainment industries
would tout
adulterous, sinful ways of life while championing them as
pleasant and
without grief; we would have learned people telling us
that if
we do away with the biblical concept of guilt, we will all be
happy.
You say, "But preacher,
we had
better listen to the word of God, for He looks for us to bring forth
grapes.
Shall we give unto Him wild grapes?
6:1-13 The Awesome Holiness of God
Isaiah 1-5 establishes the sovereignty of God. Isaiah 6
establishes
the
holiness of God in a way that is breathtaking in its majesty! We
96 CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL REVIEW
must be
careful to treat this passage with all due reverence. We must
also be
careful not to trivialize this passage. Since reading Isa
6:1-13
is an
awesome experience for us, think how Isaiah felt!
K. M. Yates grasped this passage with strong, clear insight:
In that brief account we see conviction, contrition, conversion,
confession,
cleansing, and consecration. Some preacher has
called it "the 'woe' of con-
viction, the 'lo' of cleansing, and the 'go' of
service." In it is clearly pictured
the four steps in a souls experience.
1. Revelation--He saw God in His majesty and might.
2. Prostration--He saw his own unworthiness and his
distance from God.
3. Purification--God's cleansing touch brought full
purification.
4. Consecration--Without reservation he offered himself on
God's
altar for service.6
7:10-16 The Sign of the Savior
The thrice holy God assures Isaiah that all of
suffer
burn-out.
Ahaz an opportunity to demonstrate
his faith by asking him for a sign.
This sign
would prove the faithfulness of God and the validity of
Isaiah's
prophetic message (
his lack
of faith. Ahaz had more confidence in his alliance
with
than he
did in God. This fateful decision of Ahaz compounded the his-
tory of
give a
sign anyway, and what a sign it was! (7:14-16).
The suggested text is Isa 7:10-16, but
serious consideration must
be
given to including Matt 1:18-23. This dual passage text lends itself
easily and
logically to a promise-fulfillment interpretation. The sermon
from this
dual passage text would emphasize first, the sign, and second,
the
Savior.
Text: Isa
Title: The Specific Sign of the Savior
I. The virgin birth of Jesus is God's specific sign that He will
save
His people (Isa
Isaiah did forth-telling and fore-telling. He
did forth-telling by
warning that
would provide a means of redeeming
by prophesying that God will provide a
mighty act in the form of
a virgin-born Savior.
II. Jesus is God's specific Savior of His people (Matt
God's salvation is not military, as many Jews
anticipated. Nor is
God's salvation
political or social as many anticipate today. God's
6 Kyle M. Yates, Preaching from the Prophets (Nashville: Broadman, 1942) 93.
Al Fasol: PREACHING FROM ISAIAH 97
salvation is spiritual. Just as Isaiah prophesied,
the virgin-born
Jesus is our Savior.
9:1-7 God With Us
This passage is an attempt to bolster hope among God's people.
When God's
holy child comes, He will dispel sin and darkness (v 2).
His holy
light will provide great hope and therefore great joy because
He will
break the yoke of sin (vv 1-5). Small wonder then that this
Child will
be given the highest accolades our voices can utter (v 6).
These
accolades consist of four meaningful names: "Wonderful" signify-
ing God's holiness; "Counsellor"
signifying divine wisdom; "The mighty
god"
signifying His omnipotence; "The everlasting Father" signifying
His deity;
"The Prince of Peace" signifying exactly what it says--the
coming King
will provide a heaven-sent peace.
Since the Messiah came to minister to us, and since this passage
voices our
praises for His ministry, we may develop a sermon that
speaks both
of our needs and of His praises.
Text: Isa 9:1-7
Title: God With Us
I. We were lost and in need of Someone to
lead us to hope. God
provided a Wonderful Counsellor.
II. We were powerless against temptation. We turned to The mighty
God.
III. We were children in need of sustenance. He revealed Himself
as
the Everlasting Father.
IV We were losing the war against sin.
God provided the Prince of
Peace.
11:1-11;
12:1-6 A Glimpse of Heaven
The Messiah, whom we praised in chap. 9, establishes His king-
dom in chaps. 11-12. Isaiah 11:1-11 is set in
contrast to the closing
verses of
chap. 10. The fall of
a
cedar tree (
never
recovers.
strong
contrast, a shoot will arise from
newal of life. Isaiah specified that this new branch
would come from
the
lineage of Jesse, David's father (11:1). The Spirit of the Lord shall
endow this
particular branch (11:2). This branch is none other than
God's
Messiah (11 :3-5). The righteous role of the Messiah
will bring a
complete
transformation from hostility to peace. In this ideal society
"the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord"
(11:9). The place
of the
Messiah's reign will "be glorious" (
This mighty teaching of the restoration of God's people ends with
a song
of Thanksgiving.
98 CRISWELL
THEOLOGICAL REVIEW
Text: Isa 11:1-11; 12:1-6
Title: A Glimpse of Heaven
I. A glimpse of heaven is seen in the
nature of the Messiah (11:1-5).
The shoot or branch springs from old roots, just as God promised
long ago.
II. A glimpse of heaven is seen in the
transformation of the world
(11:6-9). The new world will be denied of
danger and harm.
III. A glimpse of heaven is seen as people
gain knowledge of the
Lord (
to be with Him.
IV. A glimpse of heaven is seen in the
praises offered to God for His
wonderful salvation (12:1-6). God's anger becomes a thing of
the
past and His people sing praises to Him.
26:1-19;
35:1-10 Living in God's Perfect Will
Following a lengthy diatribe against several nations (chaps.
13-23),
Isaiah
returns to the theme of God's salvation (chaps. 24-27). Another
song of
thanksgiving to God for the deliverance of His people is of-
fered in 26:1-19. "That day" (26:1)
refers back to 25:6-9. The righteous
are
invited to enter the gates of a specially fortified
where they
will find "perfect peace" (26:3). God's enemies will be de-
stroyed (26:5-6). The nation impatiently waited for
these judgments to
come, but
Isaiah had no problem believing in them (26:8-10). 26:11-
18 seems a
little despondent, but the people needed to learn that God
used
suffering to teach His people to depend on Him. 26:19 changes
the mood
entirely. A coming resurrection is promised. Not even death
can
diminish our hope in God!
This theme of renewal (some say resurrection) is picked up again
in
chap. 35.
Chapter 35 presents two scenarios in this blessed salvation.
Verses
1-6 picture
the changes God makes on a place (or a people) who are
desolated as a
result of sin; vv 7-10 elaborate on this theme by pictur-
ing the peace of those who are restored by
the Lord.
Text: Isa 26:1-19; 35:1-10 (focal
passage 26:3)
Title: Living in God's Perfect Will
I. The redeemed of God are immersed in perfect peace (26:3).
Even when outward circumstances are a burden,
God's people
can know God's peace by relying on him and
not on their own
puny resources. The words translated
"perfect peace" have the
word picture of peace piled upon peace. Those
who wait upon
the Lord are immersed in God's peace.
II. The redeemed of God travel in perfect safety (35:8-10).
1. God's way is perfect, "The way of
holiness."
2. God's way is safe, "No lion shall
be there, nor any ravenous
beast."
Al Fasol: PREACHING FROM ISAIAH 99
40:1-31
Grace that is Greater Than all our Sins
In contrast to chap. 1, chap. 40 begins with a word of comfort for
God's people who are in exile. Verses 1-5 proclaim the nearness of a
new day
in which
be
frail (vv 6-7), but the future depends on almighty God, not hu-
mans (vv
8-17). Nothing in creation can compare to God (vv 18-20).
He is the
everlasting God who is never wearied by the needs of frail
humans (vv
22-31).
Text: Isa 40: 1-31 (focal passage 12-31)
Title: Grace that is Greater than all Our Sins
The first. 39 chapters of Isaiah emphasized the ungrateful, dis-
obedient, rebellious attitude of God's people. God
pronounced His
judgment for these sins, but always included an
avenue of hope for
salvation. Chapters 40-66 emphasize the loving
grace of God. Fol-
lowing their long exile from God's blessings,
God assures His people
that He is capable of redeeming them. Perhaps
the people felt some
doubt after this lengthy exile.
I. God's greatness is seen in His power as Creator (vv 12-17).
II. God's greatness is seen in comparison to the puny gods created
by
humans (vv 18-25).
III. God's greatness is seen in the patient strength God
demonstrates in
casting off our sins (vv 26-28).
IV God's greatness is felt in the exhilaration of His salvation
(vv 29-31).
45:1-25
Trusting God When Trusting is not Easy
God's way of doing things often bewildered the Israelites. The
ref-
erence to Cyrus as "God's anointed
one" (v 1) must have been one of
those
occasions. Cyrus was anointed to conquer those nations that stood
in the
way of God's purposes (vv 2-3). These purposes included the
restoration of
Isaiah's announcement about Cyrus. These people Isaiah condemned
(vv 9-10). God raised Cyrus in accordance with His sovereign
purpose
(vv 11-13). Verses 14-25 describe the results of Cyrus's
work.
From this chapter, we can develop a sermon dealing with the
seemingly
mysterious ways of God.
Text: Isa 45: 1-25 (key passage, v 22)
Title: Trusting God When Trust is not Easy
God's ways are not always easily
understood. We must always re-
member that His wisdom is superior to ours.
Anointing Cyrus con-
fused the people of
deity and to call people unto Himself.
I. Look unto God even when we cannot fully comprehend His ways
(1-15); key verse is
15).
100 CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL REVIEW
II. Look unto God as the only true living God who saves His people
(16-25; key verse is
22).
52:13-53:12 The Homely Savior--the Beautiful Salvation
If anointing Cyrus made little sense to the Israelites, then
surely
the
description of the Messiah as a suffering servant (52:13-53:12)
made no
sense at all. Yet God knew exactly what kind of Messiah we
needed. The
Messiah may not look triumphant, but He will attain a high
degree of
success in His mission (52:13-15). People may not esteem the
Messiah, but
even so He takes on Himself all our iniquities (53:1-12, cf.
Rom 5:8).
The Messiah's mission is actually to our benefit (54:1-4).
Text: Isa 52:13-54:4
Title: The Homely Savior--the Beautiful Salvation
Isaiah takes us again to the mountaintop. Just as he
did in chaps. 6,
7; and 9, Isaiah blesses us with what some
have called the Mt.
Everest of messianic prophecy.
I. The Homely Messiah's destiny is to
suffer humiliation (52:13-53:3).
II. The Homely Messiah's destiny is to
suffer in our place (53:4-9).
III. The Homely Messiah's suffering
brings to us a beautiful salvation
(53:10-54:4).
55:1-13
Invitation to Eternal Life
The uniqueness of God is emphasized again in chap. 55. Actually,
the
opaqueness of God is mentioned in v 15, but it is His uniqueness
that is
emphasized. The primary ramification of this uniqueness is that
all
people must look to God alone for salvation (v 22). Another ramifi-
cation is that God may use means to accomplish
His purposes that are
mysterious to
us. However, just as the clay cannot question the potter,
and just
as a child should not castigate parents, so we cannot challenge
the
purposes of God (vv 9-10).
After suffering for our iniquities, the suffering servant invites
us
to a
banquet! The table is set for those who are hungry and thirsty (vv
1-3). The one doing the inviting is God's Messiah (vv 4-5). The
most
appealing part
of the invitation is the call to repentance (vv 5-9). This
invitation is
based on the word of God (vv 10-13).
Text: Isa 55:1-13 (focal passage, 6-7)
Title: Invitation to Eternal Life
God gives this invitation based on the
salvation made possible by
the suffering servant Isaiah expressed the invitation
in physical
figures of speech, but the application is as
spiritual as it can be.
I. The Lord has opened the door to heaven
and invites us to come in
(vv 1-6). God's
invitation requires no cover charges and has no pur-
chase price required of us.
Al Fasol: PREACHING FROM ISAIAH 101
II. The Lord has opened the door to
heaven, but it is up to us to
respond (vv 7-13). The Lord does the inviting,
but we must do the
responding.
People have sought for the meaning of life for centuries. God's
word tells us that He has the answer. The gift
of life is offered to us.
What a tragedy it would be to reject the
gift and therefore the Giver.
61:1-7;
62:1-5; 65:17-66:2 Eternal Love
Chapters 61-66 emphasize the glorious triumphs of the Messiah
and how
we may share in them. 61:1-7 summarizes the purpose and
blessings of
the Messiah. The Messiah brought comfort to those who
mourned
(61:1-3). As a result, those who mourned shall be restored
(61:4-7).
The Messiah's great love for us made him determined to suc-
ceed in this mission (62:1-5). Because of what
the Messiah has done
for us,
we will live with Him forever in heaven (65:17-66:2).
These passages collectively work a magnificent conclusion to a
study of
the book of Isaiah. This study has selected passages that relate
to
salvation, forgiveness, redemption, Messiah, good news, restoration.
Isa
66:1-2 serves as a perfect conclusion because it offers the assurance
that God
is on His throne with enough love to care for us eternally.
Text: Isa 61:1-7; 62:1-5; 65:17-66:2
Title: Eternal Love
I. God demonstrates His eternal love in the works of the Messiah
(61:1-7). The Messiah brings hope,
comfort, and restoration.
II. God demonstrates His eternal love in His perseverance for His
people (62:1-5). God restores our broken lives
and commits him-
self to us as a groom accepts his bride-in
consummate love.
III. God demonstrates His eternal love in His gracious acceptance
of His people (65:17-66:2). Our sinful past
will no longer be
remembered.
As often as possible, rewrite the outlined sermons to a narrative
style. The
outlines will serve to keep the sermon locked on its text as
the
preacher moves to a narrative style. The narrative style will help the
congregation assimilate the eternal truth of the text emotionally as well
as
intellectually.
This
material is cited with gracious permission from:
The
www.criswell.edu
Please
report any errors to Ted Hildebrandt at:
thildebrandt@gordon.edu