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THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO 
ISAIAH

Today we are starting a new teaching series on Wednesday night called the “THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ISAIAH. Of course, we will not be able to go in depth like we have been with Acts (speaking of Acts, we will pick Acts back up in the New Year). But as I have been preparing for tonight, I again find myself shaking my head in amazement of God. He truly is a wonder! You will see that I believe that God is speaking something to Pebble Hill Community Church. Will we listen? So let’s begin.  
The Justice and Mercy of God
Have you ever heard someone say that the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament? 
We know that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Old Testament introduces us to the character of an unchanging God. He is a God of perfect justice who cannot overlook sin. But He is equally a God of overwhelming mercy who has provided a way of salvation. That is the Gospel message; and it is the message of the Old Testament as well as the New.
I’d like to start by giving you some BACKGROUND information about this important book of prophecy.
I. BACKGROUND OF ISAIAH
• We know little about Isaiah, His name means, “The Lord is Salvation”
• He is son of Amoz (not Amos the prophet) who may have been related to the royal family of Judah
• Some believe Isaiah belonged to the tribe of Levi because of his description of the temple in Chapter 6.
• From Chapters 7-8 we know Isaiah was married (to a prophetess?) and had two sons, Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (“quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil” warning of God’s swift judgment), and Shear-Jashub (“a remnant shall return.” The promise of God’s mercy)
• Isaiah lived during the reigns of 5 kings of the southern Kingdom of Judah:
• Uzziah, 790-739 b.c.
• Jotham, 751-736 b.c.
• Ahaz, 743-728 b.c.
• Hezekiah, 728-695 b.c.
• Manasseh, 695-642 b.c.
The “Dead Sea Scrolls” have uncovered for us a complete manuscript of Isaiah (The St. Marks Isaiah Scroll),
The St. Mark scroll has been positively dated at around 150 B.C., this rules out the assertion by liberal scholars that parts of Isaiah were written in the 2nd or 3rd century A.D.
and the Hebrew University Scroll which contains portions of the book especially from chapter 38 to the end of the book. Several other fragments of Isaiah were discovered in Wadi Qumran Cave 4. 
II. THE GOSPEL OF ISAIAH
Did you know that some call the book of Isaiah “the Gospel of Isaiah” because of “Good news” content of book. It I also called the “Romans” of the O.T. because it sets forth God’s case against sinners, unveils the wretchedness of the human heart, and reveals the way of salvation for Israel and the world. 
(In Romans, Paul quoted Isaiah 17 times.)
Speaking of quotes, the New Testament alludes to it frequently and quotes from Isaiah 62 times.
Isaiah’s message calls sinners to repentance and promises forgiveness for those who humble themselves and turn to God.
The Jews of Isaiah’s day had big heads, full of all the correct doctrines, but their hearts had grown oh so cold! Look at these words: 
Isaiah 1:2-3 NLT
2 Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!
    This is what the Lord says: “The children I raised and cared for
    have rebelled against me. 3 Even an ox knows its owner,
    and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.”
What is Isaiah saying? Even animals know where they get their privileges but not my people. When God speaks to the people He says this: 
Isaiah 1:10 NLT
10 Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.”
    Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.”
This is blunt, in their face rhetoric. 
We know that Sodom and Gomorrah are two cities of ancient Palestine that were destroyed by brimstone and fire because of their wickedness. So we know that God isn’t playing…  
In verses 11-17 we discover why God is not happy:
Isaiah 1:11-17 NLT
11 “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord.
“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle.
I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.
Who commanded all these religious observances in the first place? 
God did. Why? It was to aid them in remembering their purpose. So why is He sickened by their offerings? Let’s continue:
12 When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? 13 Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me! As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting—they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. 14 I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! 15 When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims. 16 Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight. Give up your evil ways. 17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. Cease to do evil, 17 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
Think about this for a minute: 
So, we see the problem was not in the rituals themselves. The problem was that they forgot their purpose and kept doing the rituals anyway.
ARE WE ANY DIFFERENT? 
Suppose we had a service that began with a sermon and ended with a song service. Could we survive the change? Why do we bow our heads and close our eyes when we pray? Why not look upward and keep your eyes open? Would God be displeased if we fell on our knees as we worship? Do we ever go through our worship services like robots programmed to a set pattern?
How often does our religion turn to empty ritualism or checking the box? Basically, how many churches know how to do “church” but the Holy Spirit has left the building and they haven’t even noticed?
When we lose sight of our purpose our religion becomes vain and repulsive in God’s eyes. This is why, when God showed up for church in Isaiah’s day, He became nauseated by all the things the Jews did to try to worship Him. The very things God had commanded in the first place became a stink in his nostrils. Why?
The people did the right things in the right way but for the wrong reasons.
It is not all that strange for people to come to church and be dissatisfied with something going on there. 
I remember when Tina and I were without a church home, so we visited around to see where we wanted to plug in. As I think back, I often found myself looking around the building: Looking at the stage, the comfort of the seating, the lighting, the sound of the Praise Team,  
It was only natural since that was my first-time experiencing being in the audience of these churches. But I had to concentrate to stay focused on the matters at hand and not get sidelined by comfort or technical issues.
Imagine what it was like for God to show up in the temple in Isaiah’s day and be nauseated by the church service. But the temperature of the room and the volume level of the speakers didn’t upset Him. He was turned off by the hypocrisy of the worship of the people assembled there. Doing all the right things for the wrong reasons was detestable in God’s eyes. Their sacrifices and offerings became a stench in God’s nostrils. 
A country-club religion, making all the right moves while your heart is not in it, is not acceptable with God.
Yet even in God’s anger he speaks to these wayward people through Isaiah with a tenderness even amid His tough words.
GOD SPEAKS GRACE
Isaiah 1:18 New Living Translation
18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. (NKJV version says reason together)
“Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.
Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. 
It is amazing that even in his anger, even though the level of their evil and rebellion was on par with that of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah God was still able to Speak Grace. God had a message of redemption for Wayward Israel and was about to deliver that message through Isaiah the Prophet.
Notice however, that God wasn’t going to just overlook their sins. He was not too kind and too loving to invoke judgment wherever it needed to fall. However, in reasoning with the wayward people if Isaiah’s day he placed before them two possible paths.
19 If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat. 20 But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Conclusion:
This is the message of the book of Isaiah. It is all for the purpose of calling wayward people back to their original purpose. 
Chapters 1-39 are filled with warnings about their sin and the sins of those around them, and of God’s sure judgment. 
Chapters 40-66 are filled with God’s promise to send a redeemer so that God’s wayward people can be brought back to God and His blessing.
Both the warnings and the promises are meant for us as much as they were meant for the people of Isaiah’s day. We should hed the warnings as well as take comfort from the promises of our Holy God.
I must ask you a couple of probing questions today.
If God sat next to you in church and observed your worship, would He be pleased or offended by you? Would He find your offerings to be detestable? Would He hide His eyes from your prayers and stop His ears so He wouldn’t have to listen?
It is an awesome thing for God to show up at church; to allow His refining fire and glory to appear.
But what if He appears and is repulsed by our worship? Isaiah appeared to call Israel back to obedience before God. And as we study Isaiah together we must understand that it matters to God, not only that we worship Him, but WHY WE WORSHIP HIM. 
Pretense will not pass before a Holy and all-knowing God. We cannot get away with doing the right things in the right ways for the wrong reasons.
God will purge away the dross and remove all your impurities (vs. 25). What God cannot abide He will remove. Keep that in mind as you study Isaiah’s first 39 chapters. 
What God plants in its place he will preserve. Keep that in mind as you study Isaiah 40 through 66.