The Heart of Karis: Gospel Centrality (Isa. 52:7-10)
Here’s my sermon from September 7th, the first part of our fall vision series. You can check out the audio here.
Sometimes we just need to hear some good news. Recently, we sent the Ogans off far away to Knoxville and the University of Tennessee, where Matt will serve as a professor. A couple of weeks back, one of his colleagues received some news at the start of class that caught him off guard. It made him send everyone home. What was this news? That mesmerized and paralyzed this prof? You’ve probably heard. Travis and Taylor are getting married.
Now in this day and age, where we turn on our TVs, or we scroll on our phones, and everything seems more terrible and more insane than the day before, we could always use a dose of what the kids call “wholesome.” Right? Something that brings a smile to our faces. Lifts our spirits just a bit. Gives some spring to our step. We’re constantly being assaulted by an avalanche of information. And so much of it is bad. It’s depressing. Give us some good news for a change. Even about a celebrity wedding.
But that kind of news only carries us so far. What if I told you that there was some news that was just so awesome that it could truly transform the way we saw ourselves, along with the way we looked at our world? Well, there’s that kind of news here in Isaiah 52.
This week and next, we’ll take a look at a couple of things near and dear to the heart of our Karis family. This week, we’ll take gospel centrality. Next week, it’ll be missional intentionality. We’ll look closely together at what’s our message. We’ll then talk about our role as messengers.
Some Good News from Isaiah
We just read a passage from Isaiah 52. But let’s first zoom out a bit. God’s people are divided - and they’re also compromised. The southern tribe - Judah - is entrenched in idolatry. Their worship is hollow. They’re oppressing the weak. And the Lord’s not pleased. He’s using as a megaphone this prophet Isaiah - to call them out, and to call them back.
And a chief issue is this: they don’t trust the Lord to have their back. Judah aligns themselves with Assyria to fend off their enemies. And they end up being under the thumb of that very empire. That is, until Babylon later takes Assyria out - and Judah with them. Jerusalem gets destroyed. And God’s people get taken into exile. It seems as if all is lost.
Here in this book, the prophet Isaiah is pronouncing judgment upon God’s people for their idolatry and wickedness, for their alliances with pagan kings. They’ve turned from their love of their Lord. They’ve not lived in light of His reign. And Isaiah warns them that they’ll pay the price. But within the pages of this book are also some words of comfort. This man, whose name means “Yahweh is salvation,” promises that God will rescue a remnant. He’ll preserve a people. A people that’ll bless the world. By His sovereign grace, and for His glory alone, the Lord will work. His promises will be kept.
Now emerging in this book is this figure, this hero, that will be God’s instrument in all of this. We read of this King, from the early words of the book. In these verses we associate with Christmas.
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
As promised, a son of David will sit on God’s throne and rule over God’s creation. And He’ll be God Himself. He’ll bring justice and peace. He’ll reign forever and ever. This everlasting King. Isaiah brings this hope to God’s people. Though they don’t deserve it at all.
But we also see another side of this same leader. He is also a suffering Servant. Just down the page, from our passage for today, we learn more about this about this Ruler. Look starting in verse 3 of chapter 53.
Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Isaiah 53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
This King will also suffer. He’ll be hated, abused, and killed. He is the suffering Servant. But He’s also the Everlasting King, the Son of David. These two figures are one and the same. The Savior of God’s people. Isaiah prophesies this. He speaks comfort over Judah.
Now back again to Isaiah 52. The prophet here is speaking prophetically, foretelling the future, talking to God’s people one day in exile - in Babylon, suffering. And He’s telling them this, there in verses 7 through 10. The Lord is returning. There’s this picture of a herald, of a messenger, running to their city. He’s bringing “good news.” This Deliverer is coming. “Peace” will draw near. “Salvation” will finally come. The watchmen see Him coming and rejoice. “Get ready to sing,” that messenger says. Their God will reign over them again. The Lord will comfort His people. He’ll fully redeem.
And He’ll do it through this everlasting King, this Son of David. This suffering Servant, the man of sorrows. The Lord, Yahweh, is salvation.
Reading Our Bibles in 3D
Now if you ask me why America struggles so much today, I think it has to do with a lack of health in the church. And if you ask me why we’re all so unhealthy today, I think it has to do with how we approach our Bibles. Either we don’t even bother to read them at all. We make the choice to just sit there and scroll. Or we’ve been taught to read them so poorly. And especially when it comes to the Old Testament. We either try to turn it into a big book of rules. Or we look at it as one long chronicle of heroes. And as we do either of those things, we completely miss the Bible’s purpose and point.
What happens when we make it into a big list of rules? Well, it can leave us really depressed. It can cast us into despair. That’s because we’re not real great at living up to our own ideals, much less those we find in the Bible. But what more often happens is that it puffs us up with pride. We’re the ones who are doing pretty well. Those people over there are the ones who can’t keep up.
What happens if we just try to emulate the heroes? That likewise will send us down in the dumps. If I tell you to go and “be like David,” what good is that? Because you’re not going to be able to go slay Goliath. You’re not nearly strong enough to begin to do that. And what about the parts of David that were pretty messed up? No. That “go be a hero” approach also makes it about us. It leads to over-confidence or completely giving up. It urges us to gloss over the flaws of those characters in the Bible. And it tempts us to put our hope in earthly leaders today. And we know where that leads.
Jesus teaches His disciples, after His resurrection, that they’re reading their Bibles all wrong. He says in Luke 24, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Sounds an awful lot like those twin themes here in Isaiah. But hear the next verse: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” All the prophets - and that includes Isaiah - points ahead to Jesus our Lord.
If you see the last scene of a movie or finish the last pages of a book, everything that came before makes a lot more sense, right? G.K. Beale says it’s like putting on 3D glasses. When you grasp what the Bible’s fully about, then when you read it, you can see everything more clearly. And the purpose and point of Scripture is to point us to Jesus. Of our great need for Him. And the salvation He brings. He’s the only one who could measure up to the rules. He’s the perfect version of all those heroes from before.
He’s the suffering Servant. He’s the everlasting King. And we learn from Romans 10, a passage we’ll look at more fully next week, He is the “good news” of Isaiah 52. This isn’t just about Judah being rescued from Babylon. It reaches ahead to God’s people being rescued from a greater foe, from a darker exile. By Jesus Christ. That is the “good news.” That’s the gospel.
Here’s what I want us to be reminded of today, of a first thing near and dear to the heart of us in Karis. Gospel Centrality. We are a people who love - and live out - a robust vision of the gospel together.
The Gospel of Jesus
Now, in the remainder of our time today, I want to walk through three questions:
What is this good news?
What is it that makes it so good?
What difference would it make if we loved it and lived it?
First, what is the gospel? There are two camps of people that can’t seem to get along. There are those, first of all, that say, “If I’m not hearing about the cross, about Christ’s death on behalf of sinners, then it’s just not the gospel.” Anything else is just a distraction.
But there are those, second of all, who say this: “When Jesus talks about gospel, He’s talking about a kingdom. Where Jesus brings justice and peace and healing and hope.” That’s the good news, or you’re really confused.
Now these two groups criticize each other. And shout over each other. And label the other group a conservative or liberal. “All you want to focus is on individual salvation.” “But all you want to talk about is doing social action.” Is the gospel about the cross? Or about the kingdom? Yes. It’s both. And it’d make such a difference if we could all get that straight.
The gospel is about the cross. It’s about penal substitutionary atonement. What? Jesus paying the penalty for our sin. By dying on the cross. In our place. As our substitute. To bring us to God. To reconcile us with Him. That’s the gospel, Karis. It doesn’t get much clearer than 1 Peter 3:18: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, the He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit.”
We see substitution in the opening pages of Scripture. When Adam and Eve sin - and they then notice they’re naked - the Lord slays an animal and covers them with its skin. Death takes place to cover for sinners. We see it in the sacrificial system, as God’s people shed blood, so they can draw near to a holy God. And we see that here in Isaiah once again. Look at chapter 53, this time starting in verse 10:
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Jesus is this Servant, who gave up His life. The gospel is about the cross.
But the gospel is also about the kingdom. Jesus came, we’ve seen in Matthew, “Teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction” (Matthew 9:35).
We long for the fulfillment of these words in Revelation 11:15, when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” It’s where the story is moving - to a kingdom. Where trials and tears are no more. When we’ll be one with God again. And peace and justice will reign. That was God’s intention, way back in that garden. A kingdom. Until the first humans chose to sin. And it all went out the window. But a new, better Adam will one day set the world to rights. And His reign is breaking in around us, here and now, today. And He is that everlasting King we read about in the book of Isaiah. Look at chapter 11 with me.
Isaiah 11:1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5 Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
Jesus is this everlasting ruler. The gospel is about the kingdom.
What we need is a robust vision of what Jesus came to do. A gospel that proclaims both the cross and the kingdom. That shares not just the means - the atoning work of Jesus, but the end - a restored creation. We must proclaim the gospel from the ground and from the air. Maybe you’ve heard the gospel explained this way.
From the ground, we talk about truths from Scripture about who God is and what He came to do for us in Christ. Think of it as God-sin-Christ-response. God. He is holy. He is Creator and Lord. Sin. We’ve all turned from His way. We earn death as the result. Christ. Jesus came, God in the flesh, to live a perfect life and die a cruel death in our place. Response. We repent of our sin and trust in Christ’s works alone. Through the gospel we can be reconciled to our God again. He is our Father. We are His children.
From the air, we see the flow of redemptive history, the grand story of what God is doing through Christ. Think of it as creation-fall-redemption-restoration. Creation. God made all things, including us in His image. Fall. We rejected our Lord, resulting in a curse. Redemption. God didn’t turn His back but redeemed that which He had made - through Jesus, His life, death, and resurrection. Restoration. One day He’ll return to earth in judgement and salvation. His creation will be restored. He will reign over His people in a New Heavens and New Earth forever.
From the ground. From the air. Tim Keller does a good job of incorporating both angles.
“Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God fully accomplishes salvation for us, rescuing us from judgment for sin into fellowship with him, and then restores the creation in which we can enjoy our new life together with him forever.” (Tim Keller)
From the ground, we see the Lord paying our debt, restoring us to Himself, through the cross. From the air, we see the grand sweep of redemptive history. We understand the full breadth of what God in Christ came to accomplish. He brings a kingdom. Two different vantage points. They’re both essential. And they’re both related. Listen to pastor and scholar Jeremy Treat:
“The cross is central (the climactic mid-point of the story) and the kingdom is telic (the end-goal of the story). The glory of God’s wisdom, however, is displayed in the manner that the end-time kingdom has broken into the middle of history through the death of the messiah.
In short, the kingdom and the cross are held together by the Christ—Israel’s messiah—who brings God’s reign on earth through his atoning death on the cross. The kingdom is the ultimate goal of the cross, and the cross is the means by which the kingdom comes.” (Jeremy Treat)
Back in 2020, I was walking, listening to a podcast. It was about the gospel and race. It was a couple of pastors chatting with Thabiti Anyabwile, an author and pastor in the D.C. area. I’ve had the privilege of interacting with him a bit. He’s great. A brilliant mind. A kind heart. Well, he and those two men had this great conversation about the subject. How the gospel brings racial reconciliation and justice. And then one of the guys at the end, basically closed things out by saying something along the lines of this: “Well, wherever you land, we’re not really talking about the gospel. This is a secondary thing. A clear implication, for sure. But not what’s most important.” And they ended the podcast. And it just didn’t sit well with me. I reached out to Thabiti via email. We ended up chatting on the phone. What about the vision of this kingdom? There certainly won’t be any injustice there. Isn’t that kingdom supposed to be coming here and now? How can we say it’s not a gospel issue? It was a good chat. We definitely were feeling the same things.
The more I’ve wrestled with it, I think it comes down to this. The gospel is about the cross. It’s about the kingdom. It’s both/and. It’s even greater than that. And if we grasp that, we can actually work through these problems. And it’ll change everything about our lives on earth together.
On that note, let’s go on to our second question. What is it that makes it so good? What’s so great about this gospel? First, if we embrace His cross, what we gain is His grace. Jesus has suffered in our place. We get forgiveness for our sins. And we get freedom from them, too. We no longer have to run after things that don’t satisfy us, that end up destroying us. And we’re also free to admit who we are, call out to Him for help, and receive His love. There’s deep joy, a reason to sing, in the gospel of Jesus. In the cross, we meet His grace.
Here’s what this gospel of the cross gives us. Deep humility. Yeah, we’re sinners that deserve His judgment. But at the same time, He gave Himself for us. So we have this deep confidence, too. There’s nothing you can say that’s really going to crush me. And there’s nothing greater than the love I have in Him. I have nothing to prove. I have no one to impress. I have Him and His love. And that’s enough. As Tim Keller has put it, and you’ve heard repeatedly up here,
“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” (Tim Keller)
Second, if we receive His kingdom, we also get His peace. There’s so much suffering in this world. There’s sin all around us. We know justice will one day come. And all our pain will end. We have a reason to hope. His kingdom is coming. And His kingdom’s already here. This isn’t all there is. The victory’s been won. He’s defeated Satan, sin, and death, by dying on that cross. And He’s proved all that by rising from the grave. Our future is bright - no matter what they say. Yesterday’s victory was great - over that evil empire (MU/kU game). But it doesn’t begin to compare to what Jesus has done. And what He’ll give to us in the future.
Here’s what the gospel of the kingdom offers us. A realistic view on things. The world is fallen. Things are so hard. No Pollyanna silliness for those who know God’s word. But at the same time, we can be optimistic. We can be hopeful. Nothing can happen that can thwart our King’s reign. And if we’re His, we’ll rule with Him and His people forever. And throw in also the purpose this gives. His kingdom has come. Broken into the here and now. And we can work in concert with this new world that’s coming. Bringing justice and peace. Reminding others of this hope.
Karis, this is what the gospel of Christ brings. Through His cross. In His kingdom. Let’s ask the Lord to renew our love for it again.
If you haven’t noticed on social media, I’ve taken up a new hobby. I’ve been learning to make bread. I started out using yeast. And then I got sucked into sourdough. Let me be clear here: I got in my sourdough era before I heard anything about Taylor. But my youngest son has continually teased me about this. He’s been watching his carbs, which clearly I should do, too. But he’s been fairly relentless about this. Well, this week, one of his friends came over. And he proceeded to make fun of me before this kid. And his friend responded, “It sounds like a pretty good hobby to me.” And he took me up on my offer to try a slice of bread. And he commented on just how great he thought it was. Wait until I take a stab of cinnamon rolls, my friend.
Karis, people may mock us for talking about Jesus. For getting this excited about a cross. For hoping in this kingdom. But it sure tastes good. Am I right? It’s the sustenance we need. And it sure is sweet.
I messaged a couple of elders this morning: is it ok for me to preach with Mr. Brightside ringing in my head? I recently listened to a podcast about that song. And I learned something else about another song by that band, The Killers: “All These Things that I’ve Done.” Maybe you’re familiar with it. It’s frankly not my favorite. But it has that line that repeats: “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.” Well, I heard them talk to lead singer Brandon Flowers about that tune. He’s been trying to live in the tension of growing up Mormon and now being a rock star. He says in that interview: “I still believe I can be a worthy person and not check every box I’m supposed to check.” It turns out that he sings that song at every show, and gets thousands and thousands to join in - as a kind of a confessional, as a prayer of sorts, saying “we’re not perfect,” but we don’t have to be. Friends, in Christ, we don’t have to look in the mirror and tell ourselves we’re ok, that we’re not that bad. We have His good news. We can point to Him, to His obedient sacrifice.
Let’s move on now to the third and last question. What difference would it make if we loved it and lived it? If we really trusted in His cross and hoped in His kingdom? Well, first of all, it would be at the core of all our teaching. It’d be the substance of our conversations. Every sermon, every counseling session. In our ministry to one another. We’d point people to what Jesus has done. We’d help each other lift our eyes to see His kingdom. But I think there’s so much more to this than that.
Ray Ortlund has written this book called The Gospel. It’s the free book that we give out every week to guests. The subtitle is “how the church portrays the beauty of Christ,” and he talks about how we can’t just talk about the gospel. We have to live it. We can’t just have gospel doctrine. We have to pursue gospel culture. To be a place where three things are offered: gospel, safety, and time. He explains,
“In other words, the people in our churches need:
multiple exposures to the happy news of the gospel from one end of the Bible to the other;
the safety of non-accusing sympathy so that they can admit their problems honestly; and
enough time to rethink their lives at a deep level, because people are complex and changing is not easy.” (Ray Ortlund)
Gospel plus safety plus time. The other night, we were having a meal with our MC. We were sharing our hopes for the upcoming year. Talking about values of our group. And someone mentioned how refreshing it was that we could just be ourselves. One of our guys was clearly having a really bad day. He didn’t have to fake it. He was with his family. And it was completely safe. In our DNA groups, our smaller groups made up of just men or women, we can also share our struggles. We can confess our sins. We can walk in the light, as 1 John says. And because of that, we can have deep fellowship. We can truly be known. And through that, truly be loved.
Here’s another way to tell if a gospel culture has set in. You can look at how you deal with conflict. Repeatedly, and even recently, I’ve seen church family get sideways about something. There’s a misunderstanding. And people are hurt. Folks get offended. But they don’t just avoid each other. And try to smooth things over. They sit down. They hash it out. They pray. They stand up. And walk out stronger. You see, the issue isn’t whether or not churches have conflict. They all do. It’s how they deal with the conflict. Is the gospel powerful enough? Is the gospel really worth it? Isn’t this what Christ died to achieve? Shouldn’t we actually work those things through?
This is what the gospel brings. Humility. Confidence. In His grace. That flows from His cross. Let’s love it and live it, church.
Few churches will preach about racial reconciliation and justice. Even fewer will talk about living with disability. Most won’t touch trying to actually do something in those areas. But what if we actually sat across a table and tried to learn the struggles of others? And were willing to be inconvenienced to make others feel welcomed? What if we made room for others at the table? If we set aside our preferences? If we allowed ourselves to be displaced, so others could find belonging? A church that loves the gospel will live it out in ways that are hard but lead to so much blessing. Because they look like the kingdom.
One thing I’m excited about is our Karis Faith and Work initiative. Tonight, we have a gathering for those in healthcare professions. How awesome would it be if all manner of these groups, were regularly hanging out together in Karis. They had Christ’s kingdom in view. How could they display His reign in the places where He calls? How could they show previews of that new world to come - when peace and justice will reign?
Talking specifically about healthcare, how can they hand out hope - reminding people that this world’s not all there is? And be instruments of the healing that Jesus one day fully brings? Loving people in suffering. Caring for them in death. That’s what the gospel brings. Realism. Optimism. He gives peace. In His Kingdom. Let’s love it, and live it, Karis.
Let’s take one quick look back at Isaiah 52:7-10. How beautiful is this “good news” God gives - in Jesus! News of “peace.” That brings deep “happiness.” A promise of “salvation.” Our “God reigns,” Karis. It should make us “sing for joy” as we ponder the “return of the Lord.”
“Break forth together into singing,” people of God. He brings comfort. He brings redemption. One day He’ll fully bare “his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.” His kingdom will come. It’ll come by His blood. This is GOSPEL, Karis!
Messengers of this Message
Come back next week, and we’ll talk about our calling. We’ll look at our distinctive of missional intentionality. We’ll talk about our vision for sharing this good news. And I’ll share some stories of how God’s using us around the world. And how He’s calling us as His messengers. Let’s pray.