The Root and Fruit of Jesse! Isaiah 11:1-5

The Sunday After Christmas                               26-December-2021
Sermon Text: Isaiah 11:1-5
Sermon Theme: “The Root And Fruit Of Jesse” By Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. “Ever eat a pine tree?” a Grape nuts commercial began in 1974. “Many parts are edible.”continued that naturalist Euell Gibbons as he tried to convince you to buy the cereal that tastes like “wild hickory nuts.” If you are seasoned enough to remember this commercial you can recall many comedians of that era, even Johnny Carson and the Carol Burnett show, getting more than a few laughs from that tag line. Gibbons took it in good humor, but he was right - there is much food that the Lord God has put into nature that we don’t eat due to ignorance.
      The military trains its elite soldiers to survive if necessary from the food nature supplies. Many plants are edible, but some are highly poisonous and will make you severely sick or kill you. Knowledge is needed to avoid the deadly and eat those that bring life. On the sixth 24hour day of the creation of our universe, about 6,000 years ago, the Lord God molded Adam from the clay dirt of the ground. The Lord knelt down and breathed into Adam’s lifeless clay and we became living beings. On that day, as recorded in Genesis 2, the Lord set up a garden for Adam. It was to be Adam’s own piece of private property, a garden for him to tend in keep. A garden that contained all sorts of plants that were beautiful to the eye, and good for food. In the midst of it the Lord God planted the tree of life - here Adam could commune with the Lord God after hearing Him speak. Nearby the Lord planted the tree of knowledge of good and evil - here Adam was to exercise his free will in love by obeying the Lord’s Word. One tree was life, the other tree was death - the Lord’s Word to Adam was clear and simple.
      Sadly we know the history of our first father and the loss of our free will in all things spiritual. Even after the Lord God had prepared Adam a beautiful home filled with the best foods, blessed him with work, honored him by having him name all living creatures, and blessed him with the companionship of marriage in a beautiful wife for life - Adam rejected God’s Word and ate of that which poisoned all born of men with sin and death. Deny original sin all you want, but you cannot deny its result - death comes to all - it isn’t natural it is the horrid result of our rebellion against our Creator. Sin entered this world through one man - Adam - and death through sin - so death has passed upon us all for all of us are sinners.
      Death fills us with fear. We may try to deny it, or fantasize that like video games, we will get another go around. Truth is we die once and after that the judgment - Merry Christmas?
      “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace” aged Simeon confessed in the Temple forty days after Jesus’ birth. Death had lost its sting for he held Salvation in his arms - the baby second Adam - whose name is Jesus. In this baby boy born of the Virgin Mary alone by the power of the Holy Spirit - joy is restored - for God is one of us - He has come to rescue us and give us hope. He is the Tree of Life! Learn on this from Isaiah on second day of Christmas. Behold, Jesus is “The Root and Fruit of Jesse!”
I. “But when the fullness of time had come” God the Holy Spirit teaches us through the pen of St. Paul. The Holy Spirit doesn’t operate apart from God’s written Word recorded in the Holy Bible. Beware of those who try to peddle man-made spirituality. They will sound religious, maybe even look successful, their spirituality is a poisonous lie. They will turn you to try to find the spirit within your feelings. It may work for a bit, but then the feeling will leave and Satan will convince you that God doesn’t want you - or that you have no need for God. Manmade spirituality will tempt you to find the Spirit in your circumstances - when things are going great in your life you’ll be sure God is for you, but when all fails - you fail then the world will mock you for believing in a God who cares. Manmade spirituality will convince you that the Spirit is found in your wisdom and self-chosen ways - soon your way will lead you away from the Church, the public preaching of God’s Word, the Sacraments, and finally from Jesus crucified for sinners - your wisdom and way will lead you on the broad road of death.
      The Triune God doesn’t do things the way we would do them. (Vs.1) Isaiah preaches 700 years before Jesus is born to the house of David. King Ahaz, a descendent of David, refuses to listen to God’s Word won’t even ask for a sign. The Lord God gives him a sign - A Virgin shall conceive and give birth to a Son. He is Immanuel - God with Us. The God Man will be born. When? When nothing is left of the Davidic line of kings and it seems that all is lost and hopeless. After 70 years of exile in Babylon a faithful remnant of Judah returned to Jerusalem. They put a descendent of David to rule over them as king. That would only last to the days of the Maccabees, when they rebelled against Alexander the Great - then line of Davidic kings came to an end. Rome conquered the Greeks and placed Herod who was an Idumean to rule over Judah and Jerusalem. All hope was gone - the once majestic tree of David was chopped down, past the stump to the ground - all that was left was the stem of Jesse. When all seems lost, impossible, hopeless - the Lord God acts. God sends forth His Son - a Rod shoots forth from the stem of Jesse - conceived by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God preached by Gabriel to a descendant of David - the Virgin Mary. Jesus is born of a woman - the second Adam - born without sin - as the first Adam was created. Jesus is born under the law. Though He is without sin He places Himself under the Law for us who have no hope in ourselves. Now the Tree of Life grows from the root of Jesse - He is the Branch - He is the New David - King forever.
    Simeon holding the tender 40 day old Branch in his arms rejoices - for God’s Word has been fulfilled - Salvation has come for helpless hopeless sinners in Jesus.   It is when our life seems the darkest, when we are certain that all is lost, all hope is gone - the Lord God draws near to us through His Word to comfort and give us new hope and life in the True Christmas Tree. On the night Jesus was betrayed into death for our sins - He preached, Joh 15:1-5 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. (2) Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (3) You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. (4) Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. (5) "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”   Jesus grafts us into Himself in Holy Baptism by the power of the Holy Spirit - God the Father loves us enough to preserve us under the cross. Pruning us that we cling only to Jesus - that His life may flow through us.
      Rejoice in the Root of Jesse’s Tree - Jesus! He comes to restore life as the Holy Spirit rests upon Him. (Vs.2) Jesus breaths forth the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is Wisdom in our flesh. Through Him alone God the Holy Spirit teaches to understand the Father’s love. Through Jesus God the Holy Spirit counsels us to repent and believe that Jesus alone is Salvation for sinners. Jesus breathes forth the Spirit of might, by becoming weak - His grace alone sustains to learn that when we are weak, then we are strong. In Jesus we know the Truth - and are freed from Satan’s lies popularized by the world and appealing to our fallen flesh. In Jesus the Spirit teaches us the true fear of the Lord - cross won, empty tomb certified forgiveness of all our sins.
      God the Holy Spirit gave faith through God’s Written Word to both Simeon and Anna and they see in Jesus the only Savior of sinners. God the Holy Spirit speaks only of Jesus. Jesus promised, Jesus conceived, Jesus born, Jesus growing, Jesus baptized, Jesus preaching, Jesus suffering, Jesus crucified, Jesus risen, Jesus ascended, Jesus ruling, Jesus coming again. From Jesus’ Word breathed out the Spirit of Life is given. We confess that we believe that we could not believe in Jesus Christ our Lord or come to Him. We had no hope to find the tree of life on our own, but God the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel - He calls my name through the Words Jesus spoke - those words breathed out upon me when I was dead in my sin - brought me His life giving spirit as I was baptized “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
        This Word sustains me by the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus my Lord. For in this infant Jesus the fulness of the godhead dwells. Eat of this tree of life.
II.   He comes not for the rich and proud. Those who are certain that they have earned God’s favor. He comes for those whose sins have bankrupted them into hell. Those who cannot because of their shame even lift their eyes up to heaven, but bow their heads and beat their breasts saying, “God , be merciful to me - The Sinner.”
          Feast on this Fruit of Jesse! (Vs.3-4) Jesus’ delights from the moment of conception to keep God’s Law, as True Man, perfectly. By the obedience of the Second Adam many are made righteous. Jesus doesn’t judge by outward appearances, social media posts, or by the latest gossip.
          He comes preaching to bless the poor and meek with the riches of His Grace. Though Jesus is richest of all - the Lord and King of Creation. He humbles Himself to be born as our poorest Brother. He is content to be laid in a cave stable and wrapped in swaddling cloths to save us sinners. He is true riches. He shoulders our debt to the cross - He reconciles us to our heavenly Father - now Heaven’s gate is open, in Him Eden is restored and we sing, “As it was in the beginning, is now, and every shall be,” in the flesh and blood of the Fruit of Jesse’s Tree - poor sinners are adopted - declared God’s children and heirs. Equity is given in His flesh and blood - our debt of sin is forever canceled by His sacrifice on Calvary. Now His living flesh and blood place this peace upon our very lips.
          He gives us of His Spirit and we cry out, “Abba Father!”. (4b-5) The wicked who hope in themselves will be judged. Rejecting the words of life they choose death. Today, Jesus is here in His Word to clothes us sinners with the life He has won. He is righteous - good in all He does for us. Faithful to forgive all who look to Him. See Him as God’s only salvation for sinners - His body freely given - His blood freely shed for you - forgiving you all your sins, filling you with His life eternal, and assuring you that you are saved - now and forever. He fights for you - armed with His Word - breathing it out sin, death, Satan, hell, the grave, the world, and even your own sinful flesh - are defeated. His righteousness redeems you and His faithfulness forever binds you around Him as a belt of your mighty Warrior King who is for you in all your struggles!
    Today the Church remembers the matrydom of St. Stephen. As he was being stoned to death for preaching Jesus. He saw his champion -Acts 7:56 and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" History records, Acts 7:59-60 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (60) Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Like Simeon and Anna - he departed in peace, according to Christ’s Word. Feast on the Root and Fruit of Jesse’s tree - then sing with Simeon - Lord now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your Word...Amen.