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The Mountain of the Lord · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

• 0:00
  Silence is a powerful thing, and yet we come today to praise God and thank Him that we can lift our voices up to Him in praise as well on this Remembrance Day.
• 0:13
  Our theme this morning is the mountain of the Lord, the place that we can come to and find help and refuge in all our times of need.
• 0:22
  And our first singing is from Psalm 121, the Scottish Psalter version.
• 0:27
  A psalm that speaks to us of that place that we can look to.
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  I to the hills will lift mine eyes from whence doth come my need.
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  My safety cometh from the Lord who heaven and earth hath made.
• 0:44
  We're going to sing the whole of this psalm, verse 1 to 8.
• 0:48
  The tune is French, and we stand to sing to God's praise.
• 0:51
  Amen.
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  I to the hills will lift mine eyes from whence doth come my need.
• 1:08
  My safety cometh from the Lord who heaven and earth hath made.
• 1:24
  Thy food he'll not let slide nor will.
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  His slumber that he keeps.
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  Behold he that keeps Israel.
• 1:49
  His slumber that he keeps.
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  His slumber that he sleeps.
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  The Lord he keeps.
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  The Lord he keeps.
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  The Lord thy shade.
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  On thy right hand doth stay.
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  The moon by night they shall not smite.
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  Nor yet the sun by day.
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  The Lord shall keep thy soul he shall.
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  Preserve thee from all hell.
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  Henceforth thy going out and in.
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  God keep forever well.
• 3:05
  Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer.
• 3:07
  Let us pray.
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  Our Father in heaven, as we come in worship of you this day,
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  as we come even in that moment of silence,
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  we thank you that around the world today there are people who are just like us coming to hear your word
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  and to pause in these moments of remembrance of so much that was done for us.
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  As we remember the many who lay down their lives,
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  who suffered in so many ways that we might have the freedom that we have today.
• 3:37
  We thank you that today we come with that silence, but also with the great joy that you are a God who speaks to us.
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  That even in the words that we have sung, that you remind us that there is great praise to be offered up to you,
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  the maker of heaven and earth.
• 3:56
  And we thank you that young and old together here we come with so much to give thanks for.
• 4:02
  And we just ask your blessing on all that we do today.
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  Thankful for the freedom that is ours in our land.
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  Thank you for the freedom to come and worship you.
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  And we pray that you will protect us and keep us in these freedoms.
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  That in our world, O Lord, that's full of troubles, that we remember that you are God and the God who is able to give peace.
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  And so we remember, Lord, your cause throughout the world today.
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  And remember us here, O Lord, as we come as families and as a congregation to you.
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  We do thank you for the promise of your presence with us.
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  May you look down upon us. May you bless your word to us this day and to all who hear it near and far.
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  That it will be a powerful word.
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  A word that we are reminded of what a great God you are.
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  And for all that you have given us in that great and wonderful provision that you have made for our salvation, for our safety.
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  The Lord Jesus Christ, may we praise his name.
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  And may he be lifted up before us today in all that we do, that all glory would be his.
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  So hear our prayers. Bless us. Bless the children as they go through to the tweenies and the Sunday school and the Bible class.
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  Lord, be with them there and all our young people, all our families.
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  Watch over us and bless us together.
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  That's all we ask. We ask in Jesus' name and for his sake. Amen.
• 5:26
  It's good to be together for worship today.
• 5:29
  And of course, today is Remembrance Day.
• 5:31
  And I'm sure maybe in school you've been remembering that as well.
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  I was in Laxdale School on Friday where we had the Remembrance Assembly and other schools have been doing it as well.
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  It's an important time for us to remember what was done for us in the past.
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  But in the midst of it all, what we remember too is our great God.
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  Our great God who watches over us at all times.
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  And the God who is a refuge and a strength for his people in all times.
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  Times of joy and times of need.
• 6:03
  I want to share something with you about something I learned in the October holidays when we were away on holiday.
• 6:09
  We went to visit the island of Jersey, which is one of the Channel Islands and it's very close to France.
• 6:16
  You can actually see France on the horizon if you're in the right place on Jersey.
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  But it belongs to the United Kingdom, as part of the United Kingdom.
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  And during the Second World War, it was a part of the United Kingdom.
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  But in 1940, it was invaded by the German army.
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  And for the next nearly five years, the Germans occupied.
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  That means they were there that whole time.
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  That was where they were keeping people under their rule.
• 6:46
  And as we were visiting Jersey, there were some interesting places that you could go and see the history of the place.
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  And especially from the Second World War.
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  One of the places we went to visit what's called the war tunnels.
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  And here on the side of a hill, the Germans used slaves to dig tunnels into this hill.
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  So it would be a place of protection for them.
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  They were ruling over the island and all its people.
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  And if you were a resident on Jersey, you belonged to the United Kingdom, you were under German rule, you had to have what they call an identity card.
• 7:24
  And when we went to visit the war tunnels, we were all given, as we went in, an identity card that reminded us of people from the past.
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  So four of us went in and we got four identity cards.
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  And these are the cards, the same kind of cards that the people in Jersey had.
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  I know it's difficult to see.
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  I put them through on the table next door when I go through for the coffee and you can see it there.
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  And on these cards, what you have is a picture of the Persian.
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  And then you have their name and address and date of birth.
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  And also down the other side, there's details about them.
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  Their color of hair, their color of eyes, and these kinds of things.
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  And it's stamped as well and they had to sign it.
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  And what this meant was that if they were out and about and they were stopped by a German soldier,
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  they had to show this identity card to show that they belonged to the police and show them who they were.
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  And really, it's what kept them safe during that time.
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  Because if they didn't have that, they were in danger of being put in prison.
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  And so these were important cards for them to have.
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  And it's amazing just to think of how these are real people, real names of people who lived there in that time.
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  And this time of remembrance is a time when we remember so many different people and so many different names.
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  Names of people we maybe never knew.
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  And yet important names, maybe even names belonging to our own families.
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  But what's important for us today as well is to remember that we need like an identity card as well.
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  Something that will keep us safe in times of trouble.
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  And it's not an identity card like this.
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  But it's more our identity card that is found in the Bible.
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  Who do we belong to?
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  And who is our safety found in?
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  Do we belong to Jesus?
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  That's the important question for us today.
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  Is our identity found in Jesus?
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  Is our name known to Him in that way?
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  We are marked safe by Him.
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  Well, to be safe with Him is to believe in Him.
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  That's what the Bible teaches us.
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  To be safe in Him is to believe in Him.
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  And then He knows us by name.
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  He calls us by name to follow Him.
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  And we're safe with Him.
• 9:48
  So much of our history has so much that is sad.
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  And when we think of what Jesus has done for us, that makes us sad as well because He had to die for our sins.
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  But yet He rose again.
• 10:01
  Today we remember the many who gave their lives for us in conflicts in the past.
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  But remember today good news as well.
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  Of Jesus who came to save His people.
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  Of Jesus who rose from the dead.
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  And of Jesus who gives a promise of eternal life to all who believe in Him.
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  So may we find our identity in Him.
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  And be known by Him.
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  By believing in Him.
• 10:31
  We're going to say the Lord's Prayer together now.
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  Our Father which art in heaven.
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  Hallowed be Thy name.
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  Thy kingdom come.
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  Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
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  Give us this day our daily bread.
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  And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
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  And lead us not into temptation.
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  But deliver us from evil.
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  For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever.
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  Amen.
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  We'll again sing to God's praise.
• 11:08
  Now we're going to sing in Psalm 27.
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  Verses 1 to 5 in the Scottish Psalter.
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  Psalm 27, page 236.
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  We sing from the beginning of the Psalm down to verse 5.
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  The tune is Jackson.
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  The Lord's my light and saving health who shall make me dismayed.
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  My life's strength is the Lord of whom then shall I be afraid.
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  When as my enemies and foes, most wicked persons all, to eat my flesh against me rose, they stumbled and did fall.
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  And the psalmist goes on to describe coming into the place of the Lord and seeing the beauty of the Lord as the place of refuge for his people.
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  Psalm 27, we'll sing from verse 1 to 5.
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  We stand to sing.
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  The Lord's my light and saving health who shall make me dismayed.
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  My life's strength is the Lord of whom then shall I be afraid.
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  When as mine enemies and foes, most wicked persons all, to eat my flesh against me rose, they stumbled and did fall.
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  Against me though an host encamp my heart yet fearlessness.
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  Though war against me rise, I will be confident in this.
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  One thing I of the Lord desired and will seek to obtain.
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  That all days of my life I may within God's house remain.
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  That I the beauty of the Lord behold me and admire.
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  And that I in his holy place may reverently inquire.
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  For he in his pavilion shall be hide in evil days.
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  In secret of his tent may hide and on a rock may raise.
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  In secret of his holy place may be buried.
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  We'll turn together now to read God's word in the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament.
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  In Isaiah chapter 2.
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  You'll find this around page 685 of the church Bibles.
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  Isaiah chapter 2.
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  We're going to read the whole of this chapter.
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  Isaiah chapter 2.
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  The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
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  It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of mountains.
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  And shall be lifted up above the hills.
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  And all the nations shall flow to it.
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  And many people shall come and say,
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  Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God, the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways.
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  And that we may walk in his paths.
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  For out of Sion shall go the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
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  He shall judge between the nations and shall decide disputes for many people.
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  And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
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  Nations shall not lift up sword against nation.
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  Neither shall they learn war any more.
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  O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
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  For we have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune tellers like the Philistines.
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  And they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
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  Their land is filled with silver and gold and there is no end to their treasures.
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  Their land is filled with horses and there is no end to their chariots.
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  Their land is filled with idols.
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  They bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.
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  So man is humbled and each one is brought low.
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  Do not forgive them.
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  Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord and from the splendor of his majesty.
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  The haughty looks of man shall be brought low.
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  And the lofty pride of men shall be humbled.
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  And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
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  For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up and it shall be brought low.
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  Against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up and against all the oaks of Bashan.
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  Against all the lofty mountains and against all the uplifted hills.
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  Against every high tower and against every fortified wall.
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  Against all the ships of Tarshish and against all the beautiful craft.
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  And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled.
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  And the lofty pride of men shall be brought low.
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  And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
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  And the idols shall utterly pass away.
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  And people shall enter the caves of the rocks.
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  And the holes of the ground from before the terror of the Lord.
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  And from the splendor of his majesty.
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  When he rises to terrify the earth.
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  Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath.
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  For of what account?
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  In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold.
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  Which they made for themselves to worship.
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  To the moles and to the bats.
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  To enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs.
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  From before the terror of the Lord.
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  And from the splendor of his majesty.
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  When he rises to terrify the earth.
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  Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath.
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  For of what account is he?
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  And so on.
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  May God bless that reading from his word.
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  As again just bow heads in a word of prayer.
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  Let us pray.
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  Lord our gracious God.
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  As we read your word.
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  We are reminded of so much.
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  Of the world in which we live today.
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  Of how relevant your word is to this day.
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  To days of old.
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  And even the days that are ahead of us.
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  It is a word that holds through.
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  Down through all the generations.
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  It speaks of man.
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  It speaks of what we are.
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  It speaks of our desires.
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  Which are so often away from you.
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  And as we see in this chapter that we have read.
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  We see both blessings and we see warnings.
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  We see the warnings of what it means to make idols.
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  And to go our own way.
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  We see what it means when man seeks to worship himself.
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  When we lose sight of God.
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  In so many ways.
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  So Lord we live in a world that has done this and is doing this.
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  We are reminded that there is sin in the heart of all.
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  As we think today on this remembrance day.
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  As we think of the evil that came to the fore.
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  For a generation past.
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  As we think of the wars that took place.
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  In our land and in so many nations of the world.
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  When we see the power of evil and all that it brought into our world once more.
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  Through the wickedness of man towards man.
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  We know oh Lord and we hear so much of the atrocities of war.
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  Not just in the past but even in our day as well.
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  When we see the suffering of so many.
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  When we think of the bloodshed.
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  When we think of the lives lost.
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  When we think of the innocent who suffer.
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  Young and old alike.
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  We think of what sin has done to our world.
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  And yet still as humanity we seek.
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  Our own good to our own ends.
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  Through our own means.
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  But we thank you God today that you remember us.
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  And that you are a God who is there.
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  A God who has been gracious to his people in the past.
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  A God who was warning his people through Isaiah.
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  In the passage that we have read.
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  Of the need to humble ourselves before you.
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  Before that great day of terror of the Lord's coming.
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  When you will restore all things.
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  When you will make all things new.
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  When you will turn the implements of war into implements of peace.
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  When you will bring your people to yourself.
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  When you will gather them in.
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  From north, south, east and west.
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  All who have trusted in you.
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  We are reminded, O Lord.
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  That there is a great day ahead for your people.
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  But it is also a day of terror.
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  For those who would perish.
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  For those who have put their trust in their own idols.
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  Made by their own hands.
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  For those who today.
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  Put their trust in these things still.
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  And we look to seek progress in the ways of man.
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  Instead of the ways of the Lord.
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  We pray that your spirit will be with us.
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  That you would bring a spirit of peace upon us.
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  As a people here, O Lord.
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  That we would know your presence with us.
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  That we would be made thankful for the freedom that is ours.
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  That we would be made thankful for all that has been done for us.
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  That we would be especially thankful for the peace of God.
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  That passes all understanding.
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  And we pray to know it.
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  And for many to know it in our midst and around us as well.
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  That you would lead us in these days.
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  And teach us by your word.
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  That through humility would come to the fore.
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  For it is through humility that there can be unity and peace.
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  And through humility, Lord, we would see so much good in this world.
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  And so we pray, O Lord, that you will humble us.
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  That you will teach us to make the best of our days.
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  And we think of the freedom that we have.
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  O Lord, that we would honour that freedom.
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  That we would honour you as our Lord and as our God.
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  And so that today, as we have so many burdens to bring to you in prayer.
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  That today, when we see a world in so much turmoil and chaos.
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  Today, as we see a world where wars still go on.
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  As we think of conflicts in the Middle East.
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  As we think of Russia and the Ukraine.
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  As we think of so many parts of the world, O Lord.
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  When there are people suffering.
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  We pray, Lord, for you to bring peace into our midst.
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  We pray for your protection for your people.
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  We pray for you to turn us to you in a great day of prayer.
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  To cry out to the Lord in our trouble.
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  And to know the rescuing that you are able to give.
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  That you are a God of salvation.
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  A God of promise.
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  We thank you that even as we look back to the generations past.
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  When we think of the first world war.
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  We think of the second world war.
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  And conflicts even since then.
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  So we remember the great sacrifice that was made.
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  We give you thanks for bringing us through these years.
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  We bring you thanks, O Lord, for restoring our land.
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  And giving us great blessings.
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  And we think of times of revivals.
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  Even since the end of these wars.
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  We thank you for them.
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  And for the way you blessed your word.
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  And yet today we see such a great turning away from it.
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  And so our prayer is, O Lord, again revive us.
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  Bring us to you.
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  To humble ourselves before you.
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  Help us to be a people who will honour you.
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  Honour you on this, your day.
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  As we think of what may happen in this week ahead.
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  As we've been praying for.
• 24:39
  And continue to pray about the issue of Tesco opening on your day.
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  And the plans that they have for our week today.
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  We know, O Lord, that when we feel helpless.
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  That we bring these things to you as the God who is able to do abundantly more than we ask or imagine.
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  And so we pray, Lord, that you will humble us.
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  That we will be humble before you.
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  And that you will humble those in positions of making these decisions.
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  That they will be humbled by you.
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  By the prayers of your people.
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  By the power of your spirit.
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  To turn away from that.
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  And to honour you in all that they do.
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  We pray that for our nation and for our island as a whole.
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  That in all things we would seek to do it.
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  For your glory and for your name's sake.
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  Help us to be a people who abide by your truth and in your truth.
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  For in your truth there is life.
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  And life abundant.
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  So hear our prayers for these matters.
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  Hear our prayers for all our people.
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  For those in need today.
• 25:41
  For those who mourn in our midst.
• 25:43
  Mourn in the midst of this day but also in days of old.
• 25:47
  People who still remember those who may be lost in times of conflict.
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  Families that grieve in the midst of all of these days.
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  We pray for your comfort.
• 25:58
  For your blessing.
• 25:59
  For your peace.
• 26:00
  For those who are unwell in hospital and homes.
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  For those who are waiting on or going through times of treatment and operations.
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  Lord we commit them to you.
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  For all of us together as a people.
• 26:13
  We know.
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  O Lord a day of your favour.
• 26:16
  A day of your blessing.
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  Hear our prayers for our land and for the nations of the world today.
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  As so many will pause in remembrance.
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  As your word is spoken and read and heard by so many.
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  We pray that it will be blessed to all ends of the earth.
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  Hear our prayers.
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  Continue with us.
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  Pardoning all our sin.
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  That's all we ask.
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  We ask in Jesus name.
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  And for his sake.
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  Amen.
• 26:45
  Let's again sing to God's praise.
• 26:47
  This time we sing in Psalm 65.
• 26:50
  Psalm 65.
• 26:51
  Let's sing Psalms version on page 82.
• 26:54
  And the tune is Huddersfield.
• 26:57
  We're going to sing from verse 1 to verse 7.
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  And Zion praise awaits you Lord.
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  To you our vows will pay.
• 27:08
  To you all people will come near.
• 27:10
  You hear us when we pray.
• 27:12
  In verse 6 it says,
• 27:14
  By strength and power you formed the hills.
• 27:16
  You hushed the ocean's voice.
• 27:18
  You calmed the tumult of their waves.
• 27:21
  And stilled the people's noise.
• 27:23
  We'll sing these verses.
• 27:25
  In verses 1 to 7.
• 27:27
  To God's praise we stand to sing.
• 27:29
  Let's pray.
• 27:30
  Let's pray.
• 27:31
  Let's pray.
• 27:32
  Let's pray.
• 27:33
  Let's pray.
• 27:34
  Let's pray.
• 27:35
  Let's pray.
• 27:38
  Let's pray.
• 27:40
  Let's pray.
• 27:41
  Let's pray.
• 27:42
  Let's pray.
• 27:43
  Let's pray.
• 27:45
  Let's pray.
• 27:46
  Let's pray.
• 27:48
  Let's pray.
• 27:50
  Let's pray.
• 27:59
  us when we pray. When we were overwhelmed by sins and guilt upon us lay, you pardoned
• 28:22
  all our trespasses and washed our guilt away. How blessed are those you choose and bring
• 28:43
  within your courts of grace, where filled with blessings and your house and your most holy
• 29:03
  place. With awesome deeds of righteousness, you answered us, O God, our Savior and hope
• 29:25
  of farthest seas and all the earth abroad. By strength and power you formed the hills,
• 29:45
  you hushed the ocean's voice, you calmed the tumult of their waves, and still the people's
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  voice.
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  We can turn back together with me to Isaiah chapter 2, and our focus this morning is on
• 30:19
  verses 1 to verse 5, that first part of the chapter that speaks about the mountain of the
• 30:27
  Lord. You read there at verse 2, it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain
• 30:33
  of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of mountains, and shall be lifted
• 30:38
  up above the hills, and all the nations shall flow to it. And many people shall come and say,
• 30:44
  come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may
• 30:51
  teach us his ways, and so on.
• 30:54
  Well, as we come today to think of Remembrance Sunday and Remembrance Day, a time of reflection,
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  as we pause and look back, it is a time of worship, and we thank God for that, that we have the freedom
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  to come and worship him today, a freedom that may not have been ours had that great sacrifice not been
• 31:17
  made for us. But it is, of course, a day when we come ultimately to worship God and praise his name.
• 31:26
  We sing these words in Psalm 65, and Zion, praise awaits you, Lord. It is a time to give thanks
• 31:34
  to God, and we want to do that by looking to God's word, and we're going to look at these verses before
• 31:39
  us, verse 1 to 5 of Isaiah chapter 2, and just think of the mountain of the Lord and see that there is a
• 31:47
  place that the Lord calls all nations and all people to come to. When you think of times of war,
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  high points, vantage points, hilltops, whatever you want to call them, they are always important
• 32:04
  places in times of conflict. Why so? Well, when you think of them, kind of high points, they are points
• 32:13
  where you can see what is coming. You can see what is around you, and so they've always been
• 32:20
  important. That's why you find many castles built on top of hills, so they could see what was coming
• 32:28
  all around them. You think of times of conflict in the Second World War, you see so many accounts told
• 32:36
  of battles being fought over hills, so there'll be a sense of controlling the area around them.
• 32:44
  They are important places. They give you an advantage over your enemy of being able to see
• 32:49
  and have protection around you. And today, as we come and give thanks to God for his protection over us
• 32:59
  in the midst of times of conflict in the past, when so many people lost their lives, we are thankful we
• 33:06
  can come to God, who is a high point, who has that high point over us in all things, because God alone
• 33:16
  sees and knows all things. Isaiah is writing here to the people of God, who have drifted away from God,
• 33:25
  and they have started to put other things on their mountains, other idols that they would worship,
• 33:33
  other places that they would go to, idols made of silver and gold with their own hands, as you see
• 33:39
  described in the latter part of chapter 2. They've started to make their own places of worship, their own
• 33:46
  gods that they would worship. But God is reminding them through Isaiah that he is the one who is to be
• 33:53
  lifted high. He is the one who is to be raised up, and he is the one that they are to come to and find
• 34:01
  their place of praise. When you think of advancement in technology and the advantage of being able to see
• 34:09
  from great heights, and you think of what is available to wars, to armies around the world today,
• 34:17
  in the sense of satellites up in space, and the vision that they give of the earth below, it's amazing
• 34:25
  when you see the great details that they can see from that high point, and the advantage that it gives,
• 34:32
  and yet still, it's nothing compared to the height of God. It's nothing compared to the vision that God has
• 34:40
  of his people, and the knowledge that he has of his people, of all nations, and all people of this world.
• 34:51
  And Isaiah, he didn't have any satellites that could show him what was going on around, and yet what he had
• 34:58
  was a vision from God, that God gave him a vision that the people needed to hear. In verse 1 of this chapter,
• 35:08
  it says, the word that Isaiah, the son of Amos, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, that the Lord gave
• 35:17
  him this prophecy, this vision, and that's what you see revealed through the book of Isaiah, Isaiah showing
• 35:24
  the people who God is, who they are, and their great need of God, of what was in store for them in the
• 35:31
  present, of what they had done in the past, and what was ahead of them in the future. And for ourselves,
• 35:38
  today, it is God's word that speaks to us, in the midst of remembering today conflicts past,
• 35:47
  in remembering those who gave their lives in the midst of these conflicts, and remembering
• 35:52
  conflicts ongoing throughout our world, and the many who serve in the armed forces far and wide
• 35:59
  throughout the world. Today is a day of remembering these things, but remembering the God who is over all.
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  The God who Isaiah's vision saw concerning the people then, but a word that speaks to us today.
• 36:18
  Isaiah is warning his people to find safety at the mountain of the Lord, in the presence of God.
• 36:27
  For when days of trouble come, and ultimately when the day of the Lord comes, as Isaiah goes on to speak
• 36:33
  of in this chapter and throughout this book, our safety, our refuge can only be found in God,
• 36:42
  because there is nothing else in this world that offers us victory. Isaiah is writing at a time,
• 36:50
  not that war is going on for them, but a time of war is about to come upon them. When they are going to
• 36:57
  be taken into exile, when they are going to be invaded by an army, their protection must be in God.
• 37:06
  And for ourselves today, as we see troubles around us, or as we think of peace that we do have in the
• 37:13
  midst of troubles around us, we are reminded too of our greatest conflict. And that is the conflict
• 37:19
  that goes on in the heart of every man, woman, boy, and child in this world. The conflict that causes wars.
• 37:28
  It is sin. The sin that is in us all. And the sin that is evil in this world and causes so much evil
• 37:37
  and hurt in this world. The sin that keeps us apart from God and away from God. We are reminded that it is
• 37:46
  through faith in God and trusting in God that only then can we find peace and protection and prosperity
• 37:56
  through him. Where do we go for this victory? Where do we go to seek this peace? Well, Isaiah is telling
• 38:05
  the people that they are to come to the mountain of the Lord, to the place where God is worshipped,
• 38:13
  to the place where God is lifted up. And I want us to think of three things about this place today.
• 38:20
  It is a place of promise. It is a place of peace. And it is a place of praise. So the first thing we see
• 38:31
  here today is it is a place of promise. Isaiah, as he saw these things concerning Judah and Jerusalem,
• 38:42
  what he saw covered a great period of time, not just for his own day and for the people's time then,
• 38:50
  but looking ahead to the days before them, looking ahead to even New Testament days and to our day,
• 38:56
  and even further beyond that to the days that we don't even see ahead of us yet. We cannot see,
• 39:02
  but we have the vision that God is showing us a day of the Lord's coming, the day of the Lord's
• 39:09
  return. Isaiah's vision was looking to all of these things and it was looking to them in the midst of
• 39:16
  the promises that God was making. Isaiah here is showing them the mountain of the house of the Lord,
• 39:26
  a place that will be established as the highest of mountains, it says in verse 2 there. It is a place
• 39:33
  of God's making. It is a place for the time of God's choosing, a place where God is going to bring
• 39:44
  his people together. And as we look to that place, we see it as a place that is full of God's promises.
• 39:54
  There's so much of this place that is the not yet, that is still to come. But there's so much of this
• 40:03
  place that is the already, that is for us today as we await this great day of the Lord.
• 40:10
  And when we think of Isaiah's prophesying here, what he does is not just look into the people's sense of
• 40:22
  curiosity. It's not for their just a sense of curiosity, wondering what's ahead for them. It's not just for
• 40:31
  us to be curious about, well, maybe this is one thing that could be ahead of us. This is maybe one
• 40:37
  direction we might go in. People always want to try and think about the future. You see that
• 40:45
  in verse 6 of this chapter, for you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are
• 40:53
  full of things from the east and of fortune tellers, like the Philistines. They were curious to hear what
• 41:00
  the future held for them. And they were looking in all different kinds of places for what the future
• 41:05
  might hold for them. And they weren't listening to the Lord. And for ourselves today, the same is
• 41:14
  through. The word of God is given to direct us, to show us the ways ahead of us, to show us the great
• 41:21
  evil of sin in our hearts, to show us a great Savior who has come in Christ, to show us that the day of
• 41:29
  the Lord is a day ahead of us all, a day where every knee will bow and tongue confess that he is Lord.
• 41:36
  And yet still we want to be curious about, well, that may be just one option. Maybe there's something else.
• 41:43
  But God's word wasn't just given to a curious people. It's given to a people with a great need.
• 41:50
  God's word that gives us a great challenge to believe in him and a great assurance for those
• 41:57
  who do, that there is safety in the Lord, that there is great comfort in the Lord, for the Lord
• 42:04
  is a God of promise, a God who has promised us so much. He promised a son. He promised one who
• 42:14
  would come to save us. Isaiah shows so wonderfully later on. He has fulfilled it.
• 42:20
  And when he says that the day of the Lord is coming, he will fulfill it. In the New Testament,
• 42:28
  when Paul is writing to the church at Thessalonica in chapter 4, he is there speaking about the day
• 42:36
  of the Lord, the coming of the Lord Jesus. He concludes in verse 18 by speaking about this,
• 42:43
  Therefore, comfort one another with these words. Comfort one another with these words.
• 42:52
  The Lord's mountain, the Lord who is working in all of these things, the Lord who is promising
• 42:59
  these things, is there to speak a word of comfort to those who believe and put their trust in him.
• 43:07
  It is a sign of God's working. What is the promise that we have here? The Lord will establish his mountain.
• 43:20
  That is the promise of God. So when we look back in the past and we look to conflicts in the past,
• 43:28
  we see a people and nations who have tried to raise themselves up, to make themselves into the God of
• 43:37
  this world. But they are brought down. And only the mountain of the Lord is the place that will last.
• 43:46
  When it says there in verse 2, the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the
• 43:53
  highest of mountains and lifted above the hills. It is a reminder that God is over all.
• 44:01
  Whether it's nations or just a group of people or even individuals who try and raise themselves up
• 44:10
  above God and have power over others through war and terror and all of these things, God is saying,
• 44:18
  they will be brought low. They will be brought down and I will be lifted up. For the mountain of the Lord
• 44:28
  is established. His rule is not something temporary. There are times when he allows wars and conflicts.
• 44:38
  You see that in the scriptures itself. For the people in Isaiah's days, there was a time when they were
• 44:43
  allowed to be brought into exile. But he's saying the day of the Lord is still coming. The mountain of the
• 44:49
  Lord is still established. And how is his rule going to be? How is his rule going to stand? Well, we see it
• 45:00
  through Jesus Christ. In John chapter 12, it says, now is the time of judgment on this world. Now,
• 45:09
  the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men
• 45:17
  to myself. In verse 2 of Isaiah here, it says, all the nations shall flow to it, to the mountain of the
• 45:27
  Lord, to the place where the Lord is establishing his kingdom. And so that's what we have here. We have a
• 45:35
  reminder that God is working. We may not see it finished yet. But it's not to say that it's not
• 45:44
  established and it will stand forever. Winston Churchill, in 1942, after a victory in North Africa,
• 45:53
  he said this in one of his speeches. He said, now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of
• 46:00
  the end, but it's perhaps the end of the beginning. There was a long way to go. And when we look to the
• 46:09
  Lord establishing his kingdom here in Isaiah's day, even in our own day, it is not the end,
• 46:17
  but it's the beginning of the end. The Lord is establishing his throne, a throne that will last
• 46:24
  for a, and for ourselves to know what is ahead of us would be so great in so many ways. And you think
• 46:33
  back to the days of the trenches in World War I, when people couldn't see a way ahead in the midst of
• 46:40
  this, or during the Second World War, in the early years, when it just seemed to be nation after nation
• 46:46
  being conquered. Where was the end to come? There was no end to be seen. It was so uncertain.
• 46:52
  And yet a nation called on God in prayer. A day of prayer was called by the nation.
• 47:01
  And they looked to what was established, the rule of God, because God is a God of promise.
• 47:09
  And for our day today, we need the same, to call on the Lord and to see that his kingdom,
• 47:15
  his mountain is established. It shall not be overthrown. And that we are to trust
• 47:21
  in the promises of God. The second thing we see here is the mountain of the Lord is a place
• 47:28
  of peace, a safe haven that people can come to. How can we know peace? How could people know
• 47:36
  peace in the days of Isaiah? Well, when you look at these verses, it says about many people shall come.
• 47:44
  Come, it says in verse 3, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob,
• 47:51
  that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths. It is about following the Lord.
• 48:00
  They thought they had peace when they listened to all the false prophets around them, who said,
• 48:06
  all is well. And they were being convinced by this, and yet the reality was so very different.
• 48:14
  And they wouldn't listen to Isaiah. Chapter 1 makes it clear for us, the people in Isaiah's day were
• 48:21
  rebellious, how they shunned God. And the second part of chapter 2 shows us the consequences of that.
• 48:29
  But Isaiah is calling them to return. Come, go up the mountain of the Lord to the house of God,
• 48:37
  that he may teach us his ways. It is a call to return, a call to repent. And for every nation of
• 48:46
  the world today, and when we hear and see a day of remembrance where God's word is put before people,
• 48:53
  it is a day of a call to remember and to repent of how we have forgotten the price that has been paid
• 49:03
  for our peace, of how we have forgotten the God who is able to give peace, because we are so convinced
• 49:12
  by those who teach us otherwise. In order to know this peace, we are to come to the mountain of the Lord,
• 49:22
  to the place where God teaches, to the place where God speaks, not to the mountains as in Isaiah's day
• 49:31
  that were being established by others with the idols and the false gods that they worshipped,
• 49:38
  but to come to God who is able to bring peace. In any conflict, a signing of a peace treaty
• 49:48
  is a time when peace comes. It's hard to imagine the feeling that people would have had
• 49:56
  on the 11th of November, 1918. As we think of that coming tomorrow, and we think of the 11th hour of the 11th day,
• 50:08
  of the 11th month, it takes us back to a time, a time when peace was declared. And it's just so hard to imagine,
• 50:20
  after all that they'd come through, what that meant. But put ourselves into that situation when we think of
• 50:28
  the greatest act that has been the greatest act that has been done for us to bring us peace.
• 50:33
  As Christ himself went to the cross, he went having spoken these words to his people.
• 50:41
  In John 14, he said,
• 50:44
  Peace, I leave with you my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives.
• 50:50
  Peace, do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. He spoke these words of peace,
• 50:59
  the same words that he speaks at the beginning of that chapter. He is going to prepare a place for
• 51:06
  his people. And he says, let not your hearts be troubled. The troubles of this world, they overwhelm us.
• 51:14
  The troubles of this world, they make us see that we don't have peace in this world unless we have Christ.
• 51:26
  And the question is, do you have that peace? Have you come to that place, to the mountain of the Lord,
• 51:33
  to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach you his ways, that you might know his peace?
• 51:41
  Today is our day we remember the peace and the price that was paid for it. But the greatest price of all
• 51:51
  was paid by Christ, who gave his life. Isaiah was looking ahead to this day and further beyond it to
• 52:02
  the day when the Lord will judge between all nations and ultimately bring peace. In verse 4,
• 52:09
  he shall judge between the nations and shall decide disputes for many peoples. It is not the rulers of
• 52:18
  this world who will do it. It is God. And instead of destruction, he says, there will be production.
• 52:27
  He shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up
• 52:34
  sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. That peace is only found in Christ
• 52:43
  and in his day. In his day of coming, when he will ultimately bring peace for us.
• 52:51
  We hear these words at this time of year in different places. At the going down of the sun and in the
• 53:01
  morning, we will remember them. And also for your tomorrows, they gave our, we gave our today. And so it's
• 53:14
  important for us to remember all that has been done for us to bring us peace. That Christ gave all for our peace.
• 53:29
  Finally, we see too that this place is a place of praise.
• 53:33
  There is no other place that we could go to at this time that could offer us hope and praise.
• 53:43
  We think of the great devastation of war and the great price that was paid. It can leave us so overwhelmed
• 53:51
  with emotion. I was sharing yesterday the remembrance service down in Melbourne of how someone had described
• 53:59
  a scene. A scene that if you put every soldier who lost their life in the first world war from the British
• 54:08
  servicemen, if you lined them up for a breast, it would stretch 97 miles.
• 54:17
  It's the equivalent of seeing this line of men who lost their lives that would stretch from the butt of Lewis
• 54:23
  through Barvis, through Barvis, through Barvis, through Barvis, through Barvis, through Barvis,
• 54:28
  down to Harris, over the Clesham, through Tarbert, all the way to Leavarborough.
• 54:33
  That would be the length of this line of men who lost their lives for a breast.
• 54:41
  It's hard to comprehend the loss that was there in the midst of these conflicts.
• 54:49
  And it's hard to see praise in the midst of that.
• 54:55
  And we can only see praise when we see the God who has delivered us.
• 55:00
  Because it is only through looking to him and trusting in him that we see a world that can be
• 55:06
  a better place with him at the heart of all that we do and all that we see.
• 55:12
  That we would praise his name.
• 55:14
  And when you think of what Isaiah is showing the people here,
• 55:19
  when he's saying, come, let us go up to the house of the mountain of the Lord.
• 55:24
  Come, let us go up that he may teach us his ways, that we might walk in his paths.
• 55:30
  Come, that we might praise the Lord, he is saying.
• 55:35
  In Psalm 65, in Zion, praise awaits you, Lord.
• 55:39
  To you our vows we'll pay.
• 55:42
  To you all people will come near you.
• 55:45
  Hear us when we pray.
• 55:47
  There is praise that he is the one who is able to bring peace.
• 55:53
  As you go through Isaiah, you see how much the people endured in their time.
• 55:58
  The conflicts and hardships that came their way.
• 56:01
  There's nothing new under the sun.
• 56:03
  It goes on generation after generation.
• 56:06
  And yet later on in Isaiah 66, the Lord speaks a word of peace to them.
• 56:13
  In verse 12, for this is what the Lord says.
• 56:17
  I will extend peace to her like a river and a wealth of nations like a flooding stream.
• 56:26
  And then it goes on in verse 19 and 20.
• 56:28
  A sign will go out among many lands and to the distant islands
• 56:32
  that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory.
• 56:36
  They will proclaim my glory among the nations.
• 56:39
  And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations
• 56:42
  to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to the Lord.
• 56:48
  Today, our longing would be that in the midst of remembering the loss that has been done on our behalf,
• 56:58
  that we would remember the Lord who is worthy of praise.
• 57:04
  That we would not forget the Lord.
• 57:07
  And our praise can only be increased the more we see our need.
• 57:14
  The more we see what the Lord spares us from.
• 57:17
  Not just wars in this life, but the eternity that is before us.
• 57:25
  Thomas Watson, the Puritan pastor, he said this,
• 57:29
  eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset.
• 57:35
  A day that has no sunset for the godly.
• 57:39
  A wonderful day.
• 57:41
  But then he goes on to say this,
• 57:44
  eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise.
• 57:51
  And there is the warning of what it means for those who don't come to the mountain of the Lord.
• 57:59
  To the one who is worthy of all our praise.
• 58:03
  Eternity to the godly is a day that has no sunset.
• 58:10
  But eternity to the wicked is a night that has no sunrise.
• 58:17
  The warning that we see in what the vision of Isaiah is here is a warning to ourselves today.
• 58:26
  That in the midst of all that goes on,
• 58:30
  in the midst of our remembrance today,
• 58:33
  we are to look to God.
• 58:36
  The God of promise.
• 58:38
  The God of peace.
• 58:41
  And the God who is worthy of all our praise.
• 58:45
  We remember today all who gave for our freedom.
• 58:52
  Who paid the greatest price of all.
• 58:56
  Who gave their lives.
• 58:59
  We see names on war memorials.
• 59:03
  And you see their age on war memorials.
• 59:07
  So many were so young.
• 59:10
  Who left these shores and never returned.
• 59:15
  We remember them.
• 59:16
  But let us remember above all.
• 59:20
  The God who knows.
• 59:22
  The God who sees.
• 59:24
  The God of promise.
• 59:27
  The God of peace.
• 59:29
  And the God we praise for our freedom.
• 59:33
  Let us not neglect the freedom that we have.
• 59:38
  The God who has given it.
• 59:40
  And let us praise his name.
• 59:43
  Let us pray.
• 59:45
  Our Father in heaven.
• 59:49
  We do give you thanks for all the deliverance you give to us.
• 59:53
  The deliverance of peace for our land in times of trouble.
• 59:58
  But above all, Lord, the deliverance you give for our sin.
• 1:00:03
  For the evil within us.
• 1:00:05
  And for the heart that is so far from you.
• 1:00:07
  We thank you that you came to us.
• 1:00:11
  That you did not shun us.
• 1:00:13
  That you gave so much.
• 1:00:15
  Even your son, Christ Jesus our Lord.
• 1:00:19
  That he might come into this troubled world.
• 1:00:22
  And give up peace that is beyond this world.
• 1:00:25
  And we pray, Lord, that you will bless us with your peace today.
• 1:00:31
  And we pray that peace for all nations and people of this world.
• 1:00:35
  That you would draw us to yourself.
• 1:00:38
  That you would be pleased, O Lord, to hear your people crying out to you in all our needs.
• 1:00:46
  Lord, have mercy on us.
• 1:00:48
  And turn us towards you.
• 1:00:49
  As we ask it in Jesus' name.
• 1:00:52
  Amen.
• 1:00:55
  We're going to conclude by singing to God's praise in Psalm 18.
• 1:01:00
  And the Sing Psalms.
• 1:01:06
  We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 6.
• 1:01:11
  Psalm 18 on page 19 of the Psalm books.
• 1:01:14
  The Sing Psalms version.
• 1:01:16
  Verse 1 to 6.
• 1:01:18
  And the tune is Rockingham.
• 1:01:20
  I love you, Lord.
• 1:01:22
  You are my strength.
• 1:01:23
  A fortress is the Lord to me.
• 1:01:25
  My rock and my deliverer.
• 1:01:28
  For refuge to my God.
• 1:01:30
  I flee.
• 1:01:31
  We'll sing from verse 1 to 6.
• 1:01:33
  To God's praise.
• 1:01:34
  Amen.
• 1:01:34
  Amen.
• 1:01:37
  I love you, Lord.
• 1:01:43
  You are my strength.
• 1:01:47
  A fortress is the Lord to me.
• 1:01:56
  My rock and my deliverer.
• 1:02:05
  For refuge to my God I flee.
• 1:02:14
  He is my stronghold and my shield.
• 1:02:24
  The Lord who saves me by his might.
• 1:02:34
  I'll call on him and give him praise.
• 1:02:43
  I'm safe.
• 1:02:44
  I'm safe.
• 1:02:46
  He puts my foes to flight.
• 1:02:52
  The cords of death entangled me.
• 1:03:02
  Destruction hurt me like a wave.
• 1:03:12
  And circled by the snares of death.
• 1:03:21
  I face the terrors of the grave.
• 1:03:30
  In my distress I called on God.
• 1:03:40
  I cried out to the Lord for aid.
• 1:03:50
  He from his temple heard my voice.
• 1:03:59
  He listened to the prayer I made.
• 1:04:08
  After the benediction I'll go to the door to my left.
• 1:04:12
  We'll close with the benediction.
• 1:04:14
  Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore.
• 1:04:24
  Amen.
• 1:04:45
  Thank you.
• 1:05:15
  Thank you.