Peter Barnes | Isaiah 59:9-15a
SERMON NOTES
A LAMENT FOR SIN
Isaiah 59:9-15a; 1 John 1:1-10
– Isaiah 59 tells of sin as our problem (59:1-8), a lament for sin (59:9-15a), and God’s answer to sin (59:15b-21).
1. Justice and righteousness are remote.
– 59:9-10; fulfilling Deut.28:28-29
– this can become very serious. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: ‘We have been silent witnesses of evil deeds. We have been drenched by many storms. Experience has made us suspicious of others and kept us from being truthful and open. Are we still of any use?’
– 59:14-15a; contrast to Zech.8:3
2. Salvation is far from us.
– 59:11; NIV has ‘deliverance’ but ESV and NKJV have ‘salvation’
3. We need to confess our sins to God.
– 59:12-13; like Ezra 9:6-7 and Dan.9:4-14; Isaiah includes himself as in Isa. 6:1-5
– hence humility in Gal. 6:1; see 1 John 1:7b-9