00:00:00.000 - 00:00:40.820

[Silence] [Music] I shall not, I shall not be moved. I shall not, I shall not be moved. Just like a tree that's planted by the water, I shall not be moved. I shall not, I shall not be moved I shall not, I shall not be moved

00:00:40.820 - 00:01:03.580

Just like a tree that's planted by the water I shall not be moved I'm on my way to heaven I shall not be moved I'm on my way to heaven I shall not be moved Just like the tree that's planted by the water,

00:01:03.580 - 00:01:21.020

I shall not be moved. I shall not-- I shall not be moved. I shall not-- I shall not be moved. Just like the tree that's planted by the water,

00:01:21.020 - 00:01:37.740

I shall not be moved. ♫ The bridge of God is marching, I shall not be moved ♫ The church of God is marching, I shall not be moved ♫ The nightly dream is flaming by the water

00:01:37.740 - 00:01:55.080

♫ I shall not be moved ♫ I shall not, I shall not be moved ♫ I shall not, I shall not be moved ♫ The nightly dream is flaming by the water

00:01:55.080 - 00:02:13.080

I shall not be moved. Jesus is my captain, I shall not be moved. Jesus is my captain, I shall not be moved. Just like a tree that's planted by the water,

00:02:13.080 - 00:02:37.580

I shall not be moved. I shall not, I shall not be moved. I shall not be moved, just like a dream that's planted by the water. I shall not be moved.

00:02:37.580 - 00:03:01.660

Let us pray. Gracious God, speak now to our hearts and grant that we may have listening ears. Warn to me if I preach not the gospel, warn to your people if they hear not the word. So grant that we may be hearers and doers of your word.

00:03:01.660 - 00:03:23.240

In Christ's name we pray, amen. Reading from the New International Version, Book of the prophet Isaiah chapter 11, the first verse, "A shoot shall come up from the stump of Jesse.

00:03:23.240 - 00:03:46.780

From his roots, a branch will bear fruit." A new branch on an old tree. Isaiah addresses the human situation Saying God

00:03:46.780 - 00:04:03.380

Is doing something new A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse The shoot is new Stump is old

00:04:03.380 - 00:04:20.980

There is no radical break severing the past and the future. The two are interrelated. Both belong to God and are used by God to his glory.

00:04:20.980 - 00:04:39.300

From the old root will come a new branch that will bear fruit. Today, God is doing something new in the life of our church.

00:04:39.300 - 00:05:06.360

Something new in the lives of these four young men who are being ordained for the deaconship. They represent new branches connected to an old tree. Well, Ebenezer has been serving since 1875,

00:05:07.020 - 00:05:22.480

116 years. Continuity of our history is to be carried on by each succeeding generation. New shoots will sprout from the old stump.

00:05:22.480 - 00:05:41.320

New life, new activities, new dedication to ministry, new vision, new commitment. All of these are to spring forth through this old stump.

00:05:41.320 - 00:06:06.660

That will be a new branch, new branches, expressing new vigor and new vitality. A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse. from his roots a branch will bear fruit.

00:06:06.660 - 00:06:30.960

The prophet Isaiah reflects on Israel's history. Gone are the glory days of the United Monarchy with its military victories of Saul and David. Gone are the days of peace and prosperity

00:06:31.920 - 00:06:49.400

enjoyed by Solomon in his reign. Kingdom has been divided now. Israel and Judah have gone their separate ways. Each has been bruised by threats and attacks

00:06:49.400 - 00:07:05.480

from other nations. Israel has fallen to Samaria. Judah faces Babylonian captivity. And Isaiah sees disaster and destruction.

00:07:05.480 - 00:07:23.940

He sees the once tall and majestic tree cut down. Only the stump remains. But he says from the stump, a shoot will come, new life will spring forth.

00:07:23.940 - 00:07:39.280

From the root, a new branch will come that will produce new fruit. New fruit. This is a word about what God is doing

00:07:39.280 - 00:07:56.000

in the world Isaiah faced. It's a word about what God is doing in our world. Robert Browning wrote, God is in his heaven and all is right with the world.

00:07:57.240 - 00:08:14.780

And some have paraphrased that to say that God is in his heaven and all is riot with the world. In many ways, we think things have gone from right to riot.

00:08:14.780 - 00:08:30.540

We see it in the widespread crime in our streets. And the mayhem and the murder that plague our cities. and the violence and child abuse and rape. We see it in the rise of unemployment

00:08:30.540 - 00:08:45.620

and the repercussions that are expressed through our economic recession. The tree has been cut down, but the stump remains.

00:08:45.620 - 00:09:01.620

All hope is not lost. Though the tree is cut down, the stump remains. And from the stump, new life comes. A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse.

00:09:01.620 - 00:09:17.460

The Davidic dynasty is not dead, though the kingdom is divided. Though Israel is taken into captivity by Assyria, the tree is cut down, but the stump remains.

00:09:17.460 - 00:09:35.700

The dynasty is not dead. There is life in the stump. A new life will come, a shoot will come from this source. Sometimes it's true that an old church

00:09:35.700 - 00:09:57.900

is somewhat like that tree that Isaiah describes. Sometimes an old historic church like ours begins to rest on its laurels. it begins to bask in the achievements of yesterday

00:09:57.900 - 00:10:15.580

and fails to respond to the demands of today and the challenges of tomorrow. And now we are giving a great deal of consideration to what happens to a church when it reaches that,

00:10:15.580 - 00:10:38.840

when it, what it's called, reaches the plateau. reaches the plateau and when you reach what you call your plateau, then the only place you can go is down. Well it just ought to be that the church of the living God, the institutional church here

00:10:38.840 - 00:10:56.300

ought to so conduct itself that it never considers itself as having reached the plateau, that We just keep going on and on and on and on. And that has to be in the minds and in the hearts of the people who make up the church.

00:10:56.300 - 00:11:11.380

That has to be in the leadership of the church. And so these who represent the lay leadership, you know, sometimes I've had the privilege for 40 years of pastoring what we call old churches, historic churches.

00:11:11.380 - 00:11:30.380

And you have some people who only think what happened yesterday. They're married to yesterday and they are unable to accept this. They talk about what what used to be done, how many people used to come, rather than being concerned about how many people they could get to come right now.

00:11:30.700 - 00:12:04.900

So it has to be the kind of dynamic spirit that keeps going forward. So may you who are being set aside as deacons, as servants of the household of faith, may you be new shoots. May you inject new life into the body of Christ.

00:12:04.900 - 00:12:39.800

May the heritage of this church inspire you and bring you to the point where you will be a channel exerting energy and vigor in carrying out the Lord's work. So what Isaiah proclaims is the Lord's word concerning his people. This is what God says will happen and what God says, he's able to bring it to pass.

00:12:39.800 - 00:13:02.500

He says, "No life will come forth. A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse. From this root a branch will bear fruit." So this is a prophetic word during a dark and difficult period in Hebrew history.

00:13:02.500 - 00:13:24.460

Now let's not belittle the stump because it serves a notable purpose. The new shoot is related to the stump. You know, sometimes this was particularly true of the civil rights movement. There were some young people who came on the scene and they began to do some things and

00:13:24.460 - 00:13:39.820

so they started saying, "What did those older people do back there?" They thought that nothing had really happened in the Civil Rights Movement until they came on the scene. Well, they were doing as much as could be done back there.

00:13:39.820 - 00:14:02.100

They were doing what they could do and this is a new day and we can do things that they could not do. You know, parents are able, most of us as parents, we are able to move our children and motivate them to do just a little more.

00:14:02.100 - 00:14:13.980

Just a little more. In other words, my parents kept saying to me, Marvin, we expect you to do more than we were able to do. And we ought to expect and prepare our children to do more than we were able to do.

00:14:13.980 - 00:14:25.500

And it just keeps going on and on. A new shoot, a new branch. It's not merely appearance. Not merely appearance.

00:14:25.500 - 00:14:38.160

It's more than that. I've seen some persons who just wanna use the appearance of being a deacon. They just like being seen functioning in that position.

00:14:38.160 - 00:15:00.060

One brother said to me, "Sir Reverend, "I really don't wanna be responsible for the work of the deacon, but I really just want to have the appearance. Well, the leaves have to do with the appearance, and Jesus has something to say about the leaves

00:15:00.060 - 00:15:17.200

when he looks at a fig tree and he sees the leaves, but no fruit. And sometimes the congregation gets caught up with just appearance. This young person, this person wouldn't make a fine person. Well, the family isn't active in the church,

00:15:17.200 - 00:15:23.380

they don't attend Sunday school, they don't attend discipleship training, they don't involve, they don't give, they don't do all of the yet.

00:15:23.380 - 00:15:32.880

They're a nice person. It's more than appearance. It's more than appearance. Jesus looked at that fig tree and he saw the leaves,

00:15:32.880 - 00:15:47.360

but he also expected to find some fruit. - Yes, sir. Scholars say that the fig tree and the leaves, the leaves and the fruit appeared simultaneously.

00:15:47.360 - 00:16:02.740

And the fact that the tree had some leaves and had no fruit, that that was hypocrisy. It sort of promised something which it did not produce. So the branch is not merely appearance,

00:16:02.740 - 00:16:13.600

it has to do with reality. And so this is what the prophet is talking about. This is what the prophet says concerning what is to come. He's talking about the future.

00:16:13.600 - 00:16:25.580

All of us are concerned about the future. All of us are waiting for a better future. All of us somehow reach out. All of us strive for a better future.

00:16:25.580 - 00:16:42.500

And Isaiah is saying, yes, there is a better future in store because a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse and from his roots a branch will bear fruit. A new day will come.

00:16:42.500 - 00:16:58.540

This anointed of God is the new shoot that will come up from the stump of Jesse. And as servants of the Lord, there are to be signs of growth in your life and in my life.

00:16:58.540 - 00:17:18.140

It should be visible to others by our faithful attendance and participation in the activities of the church, and not just the person alone, but as the Bible says,

00:17:18.140 - 00:17:32.620

it ought to be expressed by one's family. Growth in our giving, growth in our leadership ability, growth in our caring for God's people,

00:17:32.620 - 00:17:43.540

Growth in boldness to speak for God. Growth in wisdom. Growth in prayer. This is what happens

00:17:43.540 - 00:18:04.020

when Jesus comes into one's life, one begins to grow in all of these ways. This is the kind of expectation Isaiah proclaims. It's the kind of expectation that I proclaim today

00:18:04.020 - 00:18:22.140

for you and for this congregation, for where Christ comes, there is a radical change. Where Christ comes, people do not do what just comes naturally.

00:18:22.140 - 00:18:35.880

Where Christ comes, people do the common things in an uncommon way. Wickedness somehow is overcome with righteousness where Christ comes.

00:18:35.880 - 00:19:03.820

You know, human beings have a tendency to behave in ways that reflect a certain beastly character. The wolf, as you know, seeks to destroy the lamb. That's the nature of the wolf, to destroy the lamb. And we live

00:19:03.820 - 00:19:28.880

in a society where many people are wolves. They seek to prey on other people and they are wolves, but where Christ comes, the wolf lies down with the lamb. The wolf dread whales with the lamb. That's a radical difference when a wolf can get along with a lamb.

00:19:28.880 - 00:19:45.880

That's the difference that Christ makes. You know, time to time I looked out the other day this past week, I was at the breakfast table in my backyard, and I saw a squirrel. And a squirrel often comes around, several of them different times,

00:19:45.880 - 00:20:03.600

but this particular squirrel came around. And the squirrel often comes up right there at the back of the patio and gets some food that we put out there for the dog. We have a large German Shepherd.

00:20:03.600 - 00:20:14.180

And the dog many times will just lie there and look at the squirrel. I looked the other day and the dog jumped up and went after the squirrel.

00:20:14.180 - 00:20:34.880

And this frequently happens. course the squirrel went right on up the tree. But it's the nature of the dog to try to catch the squirrel. And so it's the nature of the wolf to try to destroy the lamb, but where Christ comes, he changes our nature. Something happens to us where Christ comes.

00:20:34.880 - 00:20:59.600

There's a radical difference. Radical difference. Calf is destroyed by the lamb, but Isaiah says when the Messiah comes that the calf and the lion will be together in peace where Christ comes. Radical difference. Radical difference. Well it's the nature of the bear to try to destroy the cow. That's the nature of it all. But

00:20:59.600 - 00:21:26.720

Isaiah said that there's a new order, there's a new age on the way and when Christ comes, when the Messiah comes, the cow and the bear will get along well together and he says all of this will happen and a little child shall lead them. New day, new day, radical change. Well, well, the reason so often, the reason

00:21:26.720 - 00:21:53.160

the reason our churches remain the same in so many ways is that Christ has not really come into some lives. Or we carry them down in the pool and they get wet, but they haven't changed many times. But where Christ really comes in your life, there's a radical, radical change that takes place in your life when Christ comes. When Christ comes,

00:21:53.160 - 00:22:20.560

somehow the blind eyes open where Christ comes. When Christ comes, the death is unstopped where Christ comes. When Christ comes, leprosy is cleansed when Christ comes and when Christ comes the dead are raised up there's a radical radical change where Christ comes. Oh what a wonderful change. There's some of us who

00:22:20.560 - 00:22:46.520

talk about that. If you really met him you can say it's a radical change. It's something unusual, it's something astounding, it's something that surprises you and the way you act and the way you talk when Christ comes into your life. Oh what a wonderful change. And my life has been wrong since Jesus came into my

00:22:46.520 - 00:23:18.760

heart. I have joy, joy in my soul which long I have sought since Jesus came into my heart. I'm possessed. You are possessed. You do something just because you can. Somebody else said don't do this and sometimes your body says don't do this, but there's a spirit inside you saying I'm possessed. I'm possessed with a hope that is steadfast and sure.

00:23:18.760 - 00:23:55.920

Now no dark clouds have doubted my pathway obscure since Jesus. Since Jesus came into my heart. Since Jesus, since Jesus. That's the beginning of it. Since Jesus came into my heart. Since Jesus came into my heart. I have joy, joy, joy in my soul like the sea below roll since Jesus came into my heart. Now that's that's the

00:23:55.920 - 00:24:22.960

radical change that's that wonderful happening that is to be expressed over and over again until the kingdom comes in its fullness as we come now to extend the blessed privilege of the church. There may be somebody here who has listened to this message and maybe you have not accepted Jesus in your life but

00:24:22.960 - 00:24:49.520

that's the most wonderful thing that can happen. Not what somebody else said but to have that personal experience. To have him come into your life and to walk with you and comfort you and strengthen you all along life's way. I invite you to come. the door of the church is open except Jesus Christ the Lord of your life

00:24:49.520 - 00:24:59.300

invite you to come ♪ Bless 'em all ♪ ♪ Christ Jesus is mine ♪ ♪ Oh what a full face ♪

00:24:59.300 - 00:25:10.780

♪ The glory divine ♪ ♪ Heir of salvation ♪ ♪ Purchase of God ♪ ♪ Born of the Spirit ♪

00:25:10.780 - 00:25:21.620

♪ Christ in his blood ♪ ♪ This is my story ♪ ♪ This is my song ♪ ♪ Praise ye my Savior ♪

00:25:21.620 - 00:25:32.460

♪ Oh, we are ♪ ♪ This is our story ♪ ♪ This is our song ♪ ♪ Raising our chain now ♪

00:25:32.460 - 00:25:42.840

♪ Oh, we are ♪ ♪ Buried in salvation ♪ ♪ Buried in life ♪ ♪ Facing some pressure ♪

00:25:42.840 - 00:25:56.080

♪ The worst on your side ♪ ♪ Angels descending ♪ ♪ Ring with the bell ♪ ♪ In the name of the Lord, praise Him, praise Him a lot ♪

00:25:56.080 - 00:26:17.100

♪ This is my story, this is my song ♪ ♪ Praising my Savior, all the day long ♪ ♪ This is my story, this is my song ♪ ♪ Praising my Savior, all the day long ♪

00:26:17.580 - 00:26:38.620

♪ Learning submission from His address ♪ ♪ Hiding my Savior from every request ♪ ♪ Watching and waiting, looking afar ♪ ♪ Filled with His goodness, lost in His love ♪

00:26:38.620 - 00:26:59.760

♪ This is my story, this is my song ♪ ♪ Praising my Savior all the day long ♪ ♪ This is my story, this is my song ♪ ♪ Praising my Savior all the day long ♪

00:26:59.760 - 00:27:26.640

♪ This is my story, this is my song ♪ ♪ Praising my Savior all the day long ♪ ♪ This is my song ♪ ♪ This is my song ♪

00:27:26.640 - 00:27:59.500

♪ Praising my savior ♪ ♪ Amen ♪ Amen. [BLANK_AUDIO]