Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church

Theme: The Lowly Shoot from Jesse’s Stump

1. The Lowly Shoot has a lowly background      2. The Lowly Shoot brings gifts for God’s people

My dear friends in Christ,

Stumps aren’t worth much. Once we cut down a tree, we may even hire a company to come in and grind out the old stump. Or, we might have fun digging around it and burning it until we’ve gotten rid of it. Today, as we look at Isaiah’s prophecy, we’re going to look at an old stump and see how God worked a miracle through it.

Let’s look at the first verse of our text: "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit" (Isaiah 11:1).

1. Who was Jesse? He was a direct descendant of Abraham, the father of a boy named David.
2. Who was David? He was God’s choice to be King over Israel. He also told David, "Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16).
3. What did God do to David’s family tree? He cut it down. David’s successors abused their office as king. They ruled selfishly and profited from the people. Many of them chose to follow idols and led the people into idolatry too. God judged them and cut them off. He allowed powerful enemies to attack and destroy Jerusalem. The people were carried off into captivity, and very few returned 70 years later. No more kings! The proud family tree of David is now just a stump. The line of kings has been cut off. It is so bad that Isaiah doesn’t call it David’s stump. It’s Jesse’s stump!
4. Who is the lowly shoot from Jesse’s stump? Jeremiah wrote, “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness’" (Jeremiah 23:5-6). This shoot from Jesse’s stump is David’s perfect descendant, Jesus.
5. What does the picture of the stump and shoot teach us about Jesus? His background wasn’t very impressive. He came from a nation that was no longer independent. The Romans controlled it. This picture is a reminder of our Savior’s humility. Important looking? No. Handsome? No. Very powerful? No. It doesn’t look like it! Jesus was born in a stable to a young lady engaged to a carpenter. Even though he doesn’t look very impressive, he is our Lord. He laid aside his heavenly power and position and became the lowliest of servants.

Sometimes we make the mistake of concentrating too much on the details surrounding Jesus’ birth. We point the finger at the innkeeper. We wonder why the shepherds were so afraid. We look at the manger and focus on the straw and the box. We forget to look inside the manger and see that God accomplished an incredible miracle through Jesus’ birth. Isaiah helps us to focus on the miracles rather than the details.

Let’s take a closer look at the fruit this lowly shoot produces. "The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—" (Isaiah 11:2).

wis·dom     n.

1. The ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting; insight.

2. Common sense; good judgment: “It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things” (Henry David Thoreau).

a. The sum of learning through the ages; knowledge: “In those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations” (Maya Angelou).

b. Wise teachings of the ancient sages.

3. A wise outlook, plan, or course of action.

1. What is wisdom? Earthly wisdom comes from books and school.
2. What is God’s wisdom? We find God’s wisdom in his Word. There we see his plan of salvation—that God would punish Jesus for all of our sins, and that Jesus death would guarantee forgiveness for the world.

The second fruit that the lowly shoot produced is power.

1. What kind of power does Jesus have? Jesus has all power. He is almighty, omnipotent.
2. How did Jesus show his power? Miracles
3. How does Jesus’ power change our lives today? He has the power to save sinful human beings. He has the power to forgive every one of our sins. He has the power to put those sins away and never find them again.
4. What is the fear of the LORD? Holy respect for our Heavenly Father and his will, iron-solid determination to carry it out.
5. How did Jesus show respect for his Heavenly Father? Already as a 12 year old he asked his parents: “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”

The shoot from Jesse’s stump produced all kinds of fruit. We can see those fruits in God’s Word, and also in our lives. These fruits also bring an incredible blessing for everyone who believes. Listen to Isaiah 11:6-10.

Isaiah 11:6-10

6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious.

1. What happens when a wolf and a lamb are in the same area? The wolf will eat the lamb!
2. In this illustration, what gift does God promise that Jesus will bring? He will bring peace—not peace between nations, but peace between God and man. That peace will find its perfect fulfillment when we arrive in heaven. That’s the place where war, hatred, destruction and death will not be allowed to exist!

The final proof of this perfect peace comes in verse 10: "In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious" (Isaiah 11:10). Have you ever seen a sporting event where someone runs up and down the sidelines with a huge flag? He is either celebrating a victory, or trying to get the crowd excited and cheering during the game. Jesus, the Root of Jesse, is our banner, our flag. He waves to us, calling us to come. His promise—rest, just like he told us in Matthew 11, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

Are you tired out by the hurry and worry of the pre-Christmas season? Have you looked at your December calendar and thought, “How will I ever get all this done?” Let’s not forget our reason for gathering on these weekends before Christmas. Jesus is our refuge from the storms that rage around us. He is the wisdom of God who followed the plan of salvation perfectly. He gave his perfect life on the cross so that we can have forgiveness. He is the power for our lives, so when we feel like we can’t make it another step, he will lift us up and carry us the rest of the way. He is our peace in the middle of war and debates over whether our troops should come home or not. He offers us perfect rest—rest for our souls. When the time comes for us to close our eyes for the last time, our place of rest will be glorious. We will see the Branch of Jesse with our own eyes, and he will welcome us with open arms.

Jesus, the lowly shoot, brings wonderful gifts for God’s people. Don’t miss them in the middle of all our Christmas preparations! Amen.