Sermon Tone Analysis

Isaiah teaches us that God is sovereign.

He rules not only over the nation of Israel, but over the nations of the world.

In chapters 13-23, God reveals a series of oracles against the pagan nations that surround Israel.

In chapter thirteen, God is about to call out an army to do his bidding.

He is able to call any army He desires, to accomplish any task He assigns.

He can summon them with a whistle (7:18), or—as in this case—by using leaders to raise a banner, shout, and beckon to the soldiers (13:2).

In this case, God is mustering the army of the Medes (v.

17; 21:2); and He calls them “My sanctified ones.”

Even though they did not believe in Jehovah God, the Medes were set apart by God to do His holy work.

This is the historical setting of the passage.

But one of the unique features about the Scriptures is that in some places we find little nuggets of revelation that can take us in a whole different direction than the historical meaning of the text and point us to higher spiritual truths.

This is one of those verses.

In 2006 Clint Eastwood released a move, the title of which, caught my attention.

It was called “Flags of our Fathers”.

It was based on the true (and relatively unknown) story of six regular soldiers that raised the flag atop Mount Suribachi during the battle for Iwo Jima.

An American war photographer, Joe Rosenthal, captured the flag just as it was going up.

It became the most famous picture of WWII, and came to represent the ultimate victory of America over Japan.

Flags of our Fathers follows the lives of three surviving members who raised the flag, and how the government used them in an effort to sell war bonds to the American public.

It was a difficult film in some ways, but a wonderfully patriotic film in many ways.

I love this country and our flag and for what it stands for.

Our Text: Isaiah 13:2 Say's, “Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.”

Banners, ensigns, and flags were important means of communication among peoples for thousands of years.

For some background information please turn to Numbers 2:2 “The people of Israel shall camp each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ houses.

They shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side.”

In this chapter, we find God's orders for Israel.

There were to have an orderly encampment where they rested and a orderly march when they moved.

Every tribe had its standard, flag or banner, and ensign.

After studying the scripture it would seem that every Israelite family had some particular ensign or banner that represented their clan and their family, and distinguished them from other tribes.

There were to set these standards as boundaries of their tribes, their clans, and their families.

So what’s the point of all this?

!

I. THE BELIEVER'S CALLENGE IS TO RAISE UP THE FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS

#. now what does this mean preacher?

#. there are banners that we must raise up

!! A. FIRST OF ALL WE MUST RAISE UP A BANNER OF DECLARATION

#. why?

#. to identify our position

#.

let me tell you what our banner, our standard, our mark of identification is for us today

#. the Lord Is Our Banner

* /“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, NIV)

* /“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”/

(John 1:14, NIV)

#. our Banner must be displayed for all to see

#. we must never be ashamed to identify who we belong to

* /“We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the LORD grant all your requests.”/

(Psalm 20:5, NIV)

* /“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”/

(Luke 9:25–26, NIV)

* /“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”/

(Romans 1:16, NIV)

#.

God doesn't need any secret agent Christians

#. we need to be unashamed that we are true born again believers

#. raise up A Banner Of Declaration so that every one will know who you are and which side that you are on

!! B. SECOND, WE MUST RAISE UP A BANNER OF RECRUITMENT

#. one day as Jesus walked by the sea of Galilee He saw two men fishing: Peter and Andrew—and He said unto them /" ... Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men,"/ (Mark 1:17, KJV)

#. soul winners are made not born!

#. one of the most important ensigns that Baptists have flown throughout our history is the Banner of the Great Commission

* /“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”/

(Matthew 28:18–20, NIV)

#. the Bible is clear—according to Romans 3:11 no man seeks after God

#. we must seek them

* /“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?

And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”/ (Romans 10:14, NIV)

#. the Apostle Paul poses three questions:

#. 1st, /"How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?"/

#. the answer is the lost cannot call on the Lord to be saved until they believe in their heart...

* That Christ died for there sins according to the scriptures,

* And that He was buried,

* And that He rose again the third day

#.

2nd, /"How shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?"/

#. the answer is, the lost cannot believe in Him until they hear the good news of salvation

#. 3rd, /"How shall they hear without a preacher (witness)"/

#. the answer is they cannot

#. that's why we must raise up our Banner Of Recruitment

!! C. THIRD, WE MUST RAISE UP A BANNER OF WARFARE

#. now maybe you didn't realize it when you came to Christ, but you enlisted in an army - The Army of God

#. and you and I have been called to the front lines

#. we are caught up in spiritual warfare

* ILLUS.

Unlike the soldiers who are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, we don't hear bombs bursting in the distance, or hear bullets zinging past us.

We don't see bayonets of our enemy flashing in the sun.

#. but we are still on a battlefield every day of our lives

#. and Satan takes aim at us as a body of believers and as individuals

#. he knows where we are weak, and he uses his knowledge to his advantage

#. he sets spiritual IEDs to trap and snare for us, to trip us up and to destroy our spiritual effectiveness

#. but God does not leave us defenseless

#.

God Himself leads us into battle

* /“The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command.

The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful.

Who can endure it?”/

(Joel 2:11, NIV)

#.

God gives us powerful weapons

* /“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.

On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”/