Latest / Journey Elgin / Journey Through Scripture- Isaiah 60-66
Transcript
- Phillip Thomas: It's good to see today. Welcome to our journey through scripture. My name is Philip Thomas, Pastor of Journey here in Elgin. As we continue, we're gonna finish out the book of Isaiah. ⁓ we've you know kind of talked about the book of Isaiah. ⁓ you kind of had three to four sections of Isaiah. ⁓ you know, the first section of ⁓ Isaiah talked a lot about the judgments, ⁓ you know, the the problems, ⁓ judgments not only, I mean, of course, predominantly on ⁓ Israel, but you had ⁓ judgments on other countries, other nations, other peoples. ⁓ then you had kind of the middle section which talked about, you know, salvation, ⁓ chapters forty through fifty five, ⁓ salvation, ⁓ the joy that is to come. Isaiah fifty three is one that, you know, is is very I mean most people say points directly to Jesus. ⁓ you know, the so that you have the salvation, the redemption. ⁓ and then Isaiah's ⁓ fifty six through the in sixty six. ⁓ we read last week three chapters that, you know, were focused a lot on the the reason for ⁓ God to to punish, the reason for God to ⁓ you know kind of bring bring some destruction. ⁓ but sixty through sixty two specifically, but through sixty six ⁓ kind of ends the book with with talking about ⁓ you know kind of the salvation, the hope that is going to be found in in God. ⁓ but but it goes back and forth. Again, you know, the these aren't narratives. ⁓ you know, that you're gonna see a little bit of both. You're gonna see hope ⁓ and salvation, ⁓ and kind of looking to that big picture when ultimately God will make everything right. ⁓ but then there's that constant reminder of if if you turn away, if you do not follow me, ⁓ there will be consequences. We see that throughout the Old Testament. ⁓ and so we're gonna end Isaiah today. ⁓ so chapters sixty through sixty-six. If you want to read through those and then join us. ⁓ chapter sixty ⁓ starts off ⁓ I I love how it starts off. It says, Arise and shine, for your light has come and the glory of God is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth. And deep darkness the people, but the Lord will arise over you, and his glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. And it says, Lift your eyes all around and see, they all gather together, they come to you. Your son shall come from afar, your daughter shall be nursed at your side, then ye shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy. I love the imagery there, you know, of ⁓ arise, shine, for the light has come. ⁓ the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. ⁓ it and then it acknowledges the darkness. The darkness is is ⁓ is all over, but God's light will come and push back the darkness. that's just ⁓ a very very powerful ⁓ image. And then you continue that kind of theme, and then verse nineteen of chapter sixty it says The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor the brightness shall the moon give light to you, but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glo and your God your glory, your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and the days of your morning shall be ended. Also your people shall all be righteous. They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I the Lord will hasten in its time. That definitely seems like something very far off, right? Where all will be righteous and ⁓ but but that that God will be the source of light. No longer will the sun and the moon be the source of light. God is the source of light. ⁓ One thing that's kind of interesting about this, this, you know, probably of course was written whenever they were still under Persian ⁓ occupation. ⁓ the Persian main Persian god was Ahura Mazda and it was represented represented ⁓ by a sun, ⁓ a kind of ⁓ a a sun with ⁓ I I believe it it had yeah, it was like a winged sun. And basically it was kind of symbolism of fighting back the dark forces of the world, right? But that was the Persian God. Well, we know that wasn't the the one true God. And and I I love how Isaiah ⁓ specifically ⁓ is addressing that. That no, whenever God makes everything right, He is the actual source of all of the light. ⁓ you know that that these these other gods are fake and they will fall. ⁓ in comparison to the one true God. Chapter sixty-one t starts off it's talking about the good news of salvation. It says, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prisons to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion. ⁓ to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Just this this beautiful good news of salvation ⁓ that that is to come, that that ultimately ⁓ we will experience this. And that and some of this Jerusalem would have felt like they experienced some of that as they came back. ⁓ to Jerusalem, but but I think a lot of this is looking way ahead of time, right? To to to a future time from it where we are now. ⁓ that that ultimately ⁓ that that salvation will be proclaimed to everyone. You can continue to to read ⁓ in that ⁓ chapter ⁓ verse ten, I will r greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul Shall be joyful in my God, for he has clothed me with garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. just ⁓ wonderful imagery of of what God's desire for us is to be. chapter 62, ⁓ just is is assurance of salvation. ⁓ verse six, I I really like this. It says, I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem. They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord do not keep silent and give him no rest till he establishes until ⁓ he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. ⁓ that word watchman, we've seen that word before in Jeremiah especially says ⁓ that that the watchman ⁓ is called to ⁓ warn the people of danger that is coming. ⁓ and if the people don't listen, then it's their own responsibility what happens. But if the watchman doesn't warn, ⁓ then it's it's on the watchman, right? The people will still suffer, but the the watchman is responsible ⁓ because he failed to do his job. And I I love it. So this is again looking to that future when everything's being set right, that God is going to set the watchman on the walls and they shall never hold their peace, right? They shall always be proclaiming what is true. ⁓ they shall not be silent about who the Lord is, about what he has has done. ⁓ the watchman will not falter. ⁓ I I really en enjoyed that. That was a pretty neat neat connection there. ⁓ as you continue, you ⁓ see God's mercy sixty three it talks about God's judgment, but then the salvation that comes, God's mercy is remembered. verse seven I will mention the loving kindness of the Lord and the praises of the Lord according to all the Lord has bestowed up upon us. And the great goodness towards the house of Israel, which he has bestowed on them according to his mercies, according to the multitude of his loving kindness. so again, we're still acknowledging the problems that we've seen, ⁓ but God still pours out ⁓ his mercy and his ⁓ blessing. You have a prayer of penitence, ⁓ in verse fifteen, ⁓ then you have ⁓ chapter sixty four. Starts off it says, ⁓ that you would rend the heaven. Right? ⁓ that you would come down, that the mountains might shake at your presence, as fire burns brushwood, as fire causes water to boil, to make your name known to the adversaries, that the nations may tremble at your presence when when you did awesome things for which we did not look, you came down, the mountains shook at your presence. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides you who acts for the one who waits for him. You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness, who remembers you in your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned. In these ways we continue, and we need to be saved. So again, here's this acknowledgement that people are acknowledging they've they've made a mistake and they need they desire to come back into fellowship with God. I love it said you meet him who rejoices and does righteousness. Who remembers you in your ways. You are indeed angry, for we have sinned, right? So there's that acknowledgement of sin, but but yet you also ⁓ you are close to those who are righteous and those who rejoice. and and there's that ig acknowledged and we need to be saved. We want to come back into fellowship with you. It's very important to understand it doesn't matter. what you have done, how far away from God you have been. God and and you may be experiencing the consequences of that. ⁓ but God desires for you to return to him. ⁓ you know he doesn't relish ⁓ the punishment, if you will, that comes from our own sinfulness. He does he he he doesn't want us to do that. He would rather us stay in a relationship with him, stay ⁓ and live righteous lives so that we avoid ⁓ many of the consequences of of sin. ⁓ but but as he will never ⁓ turn his back on us, no matter how far we have gone aw a straight away from him, he will always welcome us back. But we have to choose and desire to be righteous. We have to acknowledge that we have sinned and that we need him to save us, that we cannot do it ourselves. ⁓ you go chapter sixty five ⁓ is kind of talking about the righteousness of of God's judgment. ⁓ this is pretty tough stuff. Again, that God there is a difference between the righteous and the unrighteous, and man, I would choose to be on the side of the righteous, but you are those who forsake the Lord, who forget my holy mountain, who prepare a table for Gad, and who furnish a drink offering ⁓ for many. Those are two gods, those are four in gods that the people unfortunately had ⁓ had worship. Therefore I will number you for the sword, and you shall all bow down to the slaughter, because when I called you did not answer, when I spoke you did not hear, but did evil before my eyes and chose that in and chose that in which I do not delight. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat. So those who recognized their sinfulness and came back And str are striving to live righteous lives, his servants, those who are desiving to serve God. So he says, Behold, my servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry. Behold, my servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty. Behold, my servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed. My servant shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart, and wail for grief of spirit. You shall leave your name as a curse to my chosen, for the Lord God will slay you. Then call his servants by another name, so that he who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth, and he who swears in the God in in the earth shall swear by the God of truth, because the former troubles are forgotten and because they are hidden from my eyes. And so again, there eventually God holds all of us to account. We will all face the moot the the music, if you will. Are you a servant? ⁓ or have you turned your back on him? ⁓ and then verse seventeen it continues, For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind, but be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. It's very similar to things that are written in Revelation. ⁓ but behold, I I saw a new heaven and a new earth. ⁓ right, so this is is clearly looking forward to what God will eventually do. Verse twenty four, it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer, and while they are still speaking I will hear. And then goes in, thus says the Lord ver ⁓ chapter sixty six. ⁓ Heaven is my throne, the earth is my footstool, where is the house that you will build me, and where is the place of my rest? For all those things my hand has made, and all those things exist, says the Lord, but I am but but on this one will I look on who on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word. I'm gonna end on that. Thought right there, ⁓ on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit and who trembles at my word, right? That God desires for us to to have that humble and contrite spirit. And you know, ⁓ God demonstrated ⁓ that to us, didn't he? There's no more ⁓ humility than to enter into this world as a completely helpless child. Who is completely dependent on human parents? This is the Son of God dependent on human parents to take care of him, to raise him. God humbled himself to enter into this world, and what he desires from us is a humble and a contrite heart, one that desires to serve him, to live for him, to strive for righteousness. ⁓ just as the example that Christ has set for us. So I I hope that you have a humble and a contrite heart in your relationship as you ⁓ seek God. We've gone through, made it through quite a bit, but we still have a a lot to go. We we are over halfway. ⁓ we will continue and ⁓ let's look into Zechariah ⁓ nine through thirteen. yeah, we'll go to Actually nine through fourteen. Yep. Nine through fourteen. ⁓ we'll see ya then.