All the Promises of God Find Their Yes in Him

In this Advent sermon on Isaiah 11-12, Pastor Robert McNutt explores the prophetic picture of the Messiah who will establish a kingdom of perfect righteousness and justice. Beginning with the promise of a shoot from the stump of Jesse, McNutt traces how Christ—anointed with the Spirit—will judge with righteousness, defend the poor, and strike the earth with justice. The sermon emphasizes that the peaceful kingdom described in Isaiah 11:6-9, where the wolf dwells with the lamb, finds its ultimate fulfillment in the new heavens and new earth (Isaiah 65:17-25). Central to McNutt's message is the identification of Jesus as the "signal" or "banner" raised for the peoples (Isaiah 11:10), which He Himself interpreted as His crucifixion: "When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself" (John 12:32). The cross becomes the means by which Christ changes places with sinful humanity, dying the death we deserve so we might have eternal life. McNutt concludes by pointing to Isaiah 12 as the song God's people will sing "in that day"—a song of joy and thanksgiving that echoes Israel's past deliverances and anticipates the final gathering of all nations to worship the King. The sermon's central exhortation is both evangelistic and encouraging: salvation is found in Christ alone, and for those who know Him, "the best is yet to come."