Setting the Story Straight--Isaiah Series

For the last 12 years or so, Hollywood has been in love with prequels—movies that tell the back story of other movies that have already been made. To my knowledge, it all started with the Star Wars trilogy when George Lucas decided to go back and tell the story of how Darth Vader became Darth Vader. Since then, several sci-fi and superhero franchises have received the prequel treatment, including Star Trek, X-Men, Batman, and now Spider-Man. The purpose of a prequel is to enhance your understanding of the original story by giving you some of the background details that led up to it. As we return to our study of Isaiah today, we will be looking at a prequel to the dramatic rescue of Israel that we read about last time we were in this book. When we last read about King Hezekiah, he and his people were in grave danger of being conquered by the Assyrians, but God accomplished a dramatic rescue by sending an angel to slay 185,000 Assyrian troops. That was quite a story, and King Hezekiah showed tremendous faith in the midst of those dark days. But lest we forget who the real hero of the story was, Isaiah goes on in chapters 38-39 to give us some of the back story of King Hezekiah, and we learn that Hezekiah would not have even been alive in those dark days were it not for the grace of God. While we can certainly appreciate the human heroes of the Bible, Isaiah reminds us to never forget who the real hero is! Let’s learn how God prepared Hezekiah for his moment of great faith during the Assyrian invasion. 1. God applies loving grace to Hezekiah’s fatal illness (Ch. 38) Let’s read this story [READ 38:1-3]. Now, beside the obviously unpleasant thought of dying, Hezekiah was probably so troubled by this news for two reasons. First, he seems to understand that his illness was an act of discipline for some sin or sins that he had committed. We’ll see this more clearly in v. 17. The Bible does view sin as one possible cause of illness. I think God will make it very clear to us if an illness is a discipline for sin, and Hezekiah seems convinced that he is facing discipline here. He was obviously devastated at the thought of dying out of fellowship with God. Second, Hezekiah apparently did not have a son at this point and thus had no heir to his throne. He discover this when we learn how old his son was when he became king after Hezekiah’s eventual death. So Hezekiah was probably also thinking about what would happen to his family and his kingdom if he were to die without an heir. Well, the Lord was listening to Hezekiah’s prayer, and He gave a very gracious response [READ 38:4-8]. Not only did God choose to heal Hezekiah, but notice the extent of God’s gracious response. He wasn’t just going to give Hezekiah another day or another month or another year—He promised him a full 15 years of life! Then God assured Hezekiah that He would protect him from his most dreaded enemies—the Assyrians. So Hezekiah would have reason to believe that the next 15 years would be 15 good years—years of safety and security. Then, as we’ll read in a moment, Hezekiah asked for a sign to confirm this message, and God granted Him a miraculous sign to remove all doubt about His promises. So Hezekiah received far more than he could have ever hoped for, but isn’t that always true of God’s grace? Remember—the very idea of grace is receiving something that you don’t deserve. So not only are we undeserving of little acts of grace, but God pours out His grace upon us and lavishes it upon us. As John 1:16 says of Jesus, “from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” I remember hearing a pastor compare God’s grace to eating pancakes at his grandma’s house. He said that when he was a boy, his mother would only pour a little syrup on his pancakes because she was thinking about how much sugar he was eating. But when he ate pancakes at grandma’s house, grandma would let it flow! She would pour out the syrup and let it run over the sides until the pancakes were just floating like an island in a sea of syrup. That’s what God is like when He shows grace—He just lets it flow! So if you’re ever tempted to think that God has been stingy with His grace in your life, you need to think again! God’s grace is lavish and excessive, and its designed to fill our hearts with gratitude, just as it did for Hezekiah. Hezekiah wrote a psalm to recall these events and how he learned from them. Let’s read his words [READ 38:9-14]. Hezekiah’s poetry really gives us a sense of what he was feeling, but he also gives us a glimpse of what he learned that gave him a new dedication to God [READ 38:15-20; note v. 15 NIV “I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul”]. Hezekiah realized how this whole experience had ultimately been good for him, and he had a renewed commitment to praise God and thank Him. This experience was also preparing Hezekiah for a significant test during the Assyrian invasion. Who knows how Hezekiah would have responded if he had not gone through this time? Would he have had the same faith if he had not already seen God’s power over nature with the sign of the shadow, and ultimately God’s power over his own life through this healing? Remember that God knows His whole plan for our lives, and struggles that we face today may be preparing us for victory in even greater struggles tomorrow. Let me make one quick side comment about v. 21 [READ 38:21-22]. Verse 21 tells us that God worked through the means of a medical treatment. I think verses like this tell us that God is not opposed to working through medical treatments in order to heal us. I heard a story not long ago of a boy who died from a burst appendix because his parents believed that God would only heal in response to prayer. They believed it was wrong to seek out medical help. But my friends, all healing comes from God, and His glory is not diminished if He chooses to heal through medicine. So we see from this chapter that Hezekiah would not have even been alive to display great faith if it had not been for God’s grace. But there was another important event that also prepared Hezekiah for the Assyrian invasion. 2. God applies severe mercy to Hezekiah’s naïve pride (Ch. 39) I borrowed this phrase “severe mercy” from a book with that title by a man named Sheldon Vanauken. In this book, Mr. Vanauken writes about his love story with his wife. Their romance was one that all married couples would love to have. But after many years together, his wife died of an illness, and he was left without the love of his life. Mr. Vanauken describes this loss as a severe mercy—severe because of the deep loss that he experienced, but merciful because the loss drove him closer to God. Thus, his story is one of seeing the grace and mercy of God shine through during painful circumstances. Hezekiah faced a somewhat comparable situation through some news that he received from Isaiah. Let’s read about this incident [READ 39:1-2]. Here is where Hezekiah showed some naïve pride by showing the Babylonians so much. His actions would be comparable to our president receiving ambassadors and showing them around the Pentagon, showing them all of our nuclear missiles, and giving them secrets of national security! Its hard to know exactly what he was thinking. Perhaps he thought, “I need to show these men how great I am to convince them that I am worthy of all the trouble they went to to come here.” Or perhaps he was hoping to make an alliance with the Babylonians to fight off Assyria. We know that Judah’s kings were constantly tempted to trust in friends and firepower rather than God. Either way, Hezekiah was naïve, and he revealed a sinful pride in all that God had given him. Well, Hezekiah then received some news from Isaiah that would become a severe mercy for him [READ 39:3-7]. What a devastating prophecy to hear! Everything that Hezekiah had just been bragging about would be carried away—and by the very people whom he may have thought were now his friends. And not only would Hezekiah’s things be carried away, but all of the things that had been passed on to him by previous kings and all of the things that he hoped to pass on to kings after him. And some of his own descendents would be conquered by the people whom he had just trusted, and they would be humbled and placed into servitude. This was severe news, indeed, and Hezekiah’s response has long been puzzling to students of the Bible [READ 39:8]. It is very easy to read this verse and conclude that Hezekiah is being horribly selfish and celebrating the fact that he will apparently get off scot-free. But we can’t jump to conclusions about what the word “good” means in this verse. Both the English word “good” and the Hebrew word behind it have a wide range of meaning. My dictionary listed 20 definitions for the word “good!” I think it is more likely that Hezekiah is saying that God’s word is appropriate and fitting. Given the lessons he just learned from his healing and the tremendous faith he is about to display during the Assyrian invasion, I think he is expressing a humble resignation to the will of God, saying that whatever God does is appropriate and justified. I also think that Hezekiah’s final statement is an indication that God has been merciful to him. His actions have contributed to these future consequences; God would be justified to bring down these consequences now, during Hezekiah’s time. I think Hezekiah realizes that yet acknowledges God’s mercy for delaying the consequences that are to come. All in all, I think the severe mercy of this news prepared Hezekiah for his greatest test yet during the Assyrian invasion. He learned that he couldn’t trust in money or weapons or so-called friends because all of those things could be taken away. The only option was to trust in the living God who holds our lives in His hand—who even controls nature and the future itself! Trusting in anything less would have doomed Hezekiah and his people, but his faith had been forged in the crucible of trials that had trained him to trust in God alone. My friends, consider this—Hezekiah did not know what kind of test was about to come his way when he lay sick or when he received visitors from Babylon. He didn’t know that he was about to face the most pivotal moment of his life. But God did—and God was preparing him for a great spiritual victory by taking him through the training ground of trials. We face many moments in life that don’t make sense to us at that moment, but we must remember that their importance may become very clear to us in due time. Today’s trials may simply be the prequels to tomorrow’s victories, and those victories may not have come unless we had been trained by the trials. We also have the incredible blessing of knowing how the last chapter of our lives will play out. Jesus told us that He has gone to heaven to prepare a place for us. You and I have a reservation there—the angels are putting the mints out on the pillows as we speak! So we may not know what the next chapter of life holds for us, but we do know how the story will turn out, don’t we? So can’t we live with greater faith today since we know how the story ends? We’re like characters in a movie who already know how the movie ends! What an awesome advantage for life! Don’t you think Dorothy would have liked to see the final scenes of “The Wizard of Oz” when she was first picked up by that tornado? That could have saved her a lot of trouble! Don’t you think Luke Skywalker would have liked to see “Return of the Jedi” before he had to go through “The Empire Strikes Back?” My friends, we’ve already seen the closing scenes of this movie called “life,” and we’ve seen the credits, too! Who is directing all of this? God! Who wrote the screenplay? God! Who plays the starring role? Jesus! So we don’t know what the next scene has in store for us—big deal! We know how the story turns out, and we know the director who will get us there! Today’s trials may just be the prequel to tomorrow’s main attraction, but no matter what, we know the sequel to this life is gonna be a blockbuster!

God in Three Persons: Thinking About the Trinity--Attributes of God Series

The Trinity is easily one of the most confusing beliefs that Christians hold about God. Even those of us who believe in it feel like we don’t understand it very well. We will loudly and boldly proclaim our belief in the Trinity, then we will get quiet very quickly when someone asks us to explain it! No matter how you look at it, a full understanding of the unity between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is beyond our ability to comprehend, but this is really no reason to be uncomfortable with the doctrine or to reject it. When we consider who God is supposed to be and who we are, we should expect to bump up against ideas that we do not fully understand. Why does it seem like such a scandal to us when we can’t fully understand something about a being who is said to be eternal, all-powerful, and all-knowing? Nor should our lack of total understanding about the Trinity be a reason to reject the idea. I can’t give you a complete explanation of how a plane flies, but I’m not going to tell you that it can’t! In our modern scientific age, we like to tell ourselves that we understand so much, but in reality, each scientific discovery only uncovers greater mysteries. Today we’re going to discuss how to think about the Trinity and what we actually mean when we say that God is one being and three persons. I hope you’ll see that we can gain a decent understanding of this doctrine, and our reflection on it can lead us to stand in awe of God all the more. 1. Where do we get the idea that God is a Trinity (tri-unity)? In his book The DaVinci Code, author Dan Brown repeats the claim that Christians invited the idea of the Trinity around 325 AD in order to make a God out of an ordinary man named Jesus of Nazareth. In reality, the idea of the Trinity springs from the Bible itself, which was written much earlier than 325 AD! Let’s take a brief look at what the Bible has to say. First of all, the Bible repeatedly states that there is only one God: • Deut. 6:4--"Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.” • Is. 43:10-11—“Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.” • Is. 44:6-8—“I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god…Is there a God besides me? There is no Rock; I know not any.” • 1 Timothy 2:5—“For there is one God…” We could list many more examples, but that will have to do for today. So we can see that the Bible wants us to understand that there is only one God, but at the same time, Scripture gives three distinct persons the status of being God, and they are addressed as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: • Matt. 28:19—“…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” • 2 Cor. 13:14—“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” We could also look at verses where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are individually referred to as God. So the doctrine of the Trinity is an attempt to explain the fact that there is only one God, yet three persons are given the status of being God. 2. What are we saying when we say that God is a Trinity? Many people have scoffed at and rejected this doctrine because they think we are saying that one somehow equals three, that God is somehow one thing and three of the same thing all at once. That’s like saying that my pulpit is one pulpit AND three pulpits, or that I am one human being AND three human beings. If that is what the doctrine says then we should reject it, because that kind of thinking is a contradiction. But the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is one being and three persons. That claim is not a contradiction because a being and a person are not the same thing. Let’s make sure we understand these words. A being is simply an object that exists. My pulpit is a being; the pew that you’re sitting on is a being. That’s all that we mean by this word—an object that exists. A person is something that is living and thinking, something with a mind and a will—like you and me. So the doctrine of the Trinity states that God is one existing thing that possesses three different living and thinking personalities. One comparison that may be helpful here is to think of Siamese twins. Siamese twins are conjoined, which means they share one body. In that sense, they are one being—one existing thing. Yet Siamese twins are clearly two living, thinking people. They each have their own mind and will and they actually have a relationship with each other. This idea is the kind of idea that we have in mind when we say that God is one being and three persons, though this analogy is certainly not perfect. For one thing, God does not have a body, so we don’t want to think of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as living within one body, because God is a purely spiritual being, as we are told in John 4:24. Also, Siamese twins can sometimes be separated through surgery, and in that case they would become two separate beings. That is not possible with God because, again, God does not have a body. So the comparison is not perfect, but it points us in the right direction to think accurately about the Trinity. 3. What are we NOT saying when we say that God is a Trinity? For the sake of clarification, let’s look at what we are NOT saying when we say that God is a Trinity. A. God is one person with three different masks In theater, one person will sometimes play multiple characters simply by wearing different masks or costumes. Some people have applied that idea to the Trinity by saying that God sometimes acts as the Father, sometimes as the Son, and sometimes as the Holy Spirit. But we are not talking simply about alter egos, like Bruce Wayne and Batman. This idea is not a correct understanding of the Trinity because it leaves us with one being and only one person—not three persons. In Scripture, we see that the Trinity must be three persons because all three are capable of acting at the same time. A great example of this comes at the time of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3 [READ Matt. 3:16-17]. This situation cannot describe one person playing three roles because we have three persons who are all on the stage (if you will) at the same time. B. The Trinity is three beings with one purpose This idea views the Trinity as a team of three beings who are all united in one purpose—like a three-man basketball team. The members of the team all share a common purpose, but the members of the team are clearly three beings and three persons—not one being and three persons. This teamwork idea is the explanation that cults like the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses use to explain the unity between God the Father and the Lord Jesus, but it does not do justice to all of the biblical data. 4. Why does this doctrine matter? It is rather easy to think to yourself, “Why does this doctrine even matter? It’s kind of complicated, so why do I need to think about it? Pastor, I’ll believe that God is a Trinity if you say so, but why do I need to try and understand it?” You need to have a basic understanding of this doctrine because it tells us about who the real Jesus is. The doctrine of the Trinity reminds us that Jesus is fully divine. He is of one being with the Father and the Holy Spirit. They share one existence, which means that Jesus cannot be the offspring of God and one of his wives, as Mormonism teaches, and He cannot be a created being, as Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses claim. One of Satan’s favorite schemes is to offer counterfeit Christs to the world. What better way to make people resistant to the real Jesus than to convince them that they already believe in Him? Thus, Satan has twisted the truth about Jesus in many subtle ways, so if we do not understand the precise truth about Jesus, we are at risk of being deceived by a counterfeit Christ who looks oh-so-close to the real thing. There is a big difference between having a counterfeit Rolex and having the real thing. Likewise, there is a big difference between believing in the real Jesus and accepting an imposter. The doctrine of the Trinity protects us from the trap of believing that Jesus is anything less than fully divine.

What if there were no women in the Bible?--Mother's Day Sermon

Some people over the years have felt that the Bible is derogatory toward women—that it pictures women as being inferior to men and thus some kind of second-class citizens. But in reality, women play an absolutely crucial role at every stage of the biblical story. In fact, I would argue that because of the Bible, Christians hold women in higher esteem than any other religion in the world. Today, I would like you to consider the question, “What if there were no women in the Bible?” How would the story of Scripture be different if the contributions of women were removed from it? We’re going to consider a number of different women one by one to highlight their contributions to the story of Scripture. 1. Eve We might as well start at the beginning with Eve. Eve had an obvious and absolutely crucial role in the story of Scripture—without her, there would be no human race! That is precisely why God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone. The only time in the creation week that God said something was not good was when Adam was still alone. God could not give His final “seal of approval” to creation until He created woman. Think about that—what higher compliment could possibly be given to women? Adam by himself was not enough for God’s plan to be carried out; without Eve, the plan could not have moved forward. After Adam and Eve, the story of Scripture quickly comes into focus upon the children of Israel. On numerous occasions, that nation—and thus the family of Jesus—were saved from tragedy by the brave actions of women 2. Hebrew midwives (Exodus 1) When the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, Pharaoh commanded all male Hebrew babies to be killed. But the Hebrew midwives refused to carry out this command and thus saved their people from possible extinction 3. Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2) This brave woman found the infant Moses in a basket floating in the Nile. Pharaoh’s own daughter disobeyed her father’s command and spared his life, thus saving that man whom God would later use to free His people from their slavery in Egypt and to give us the first five books of the Bible. 4. Rahab (Joshua 2) As the Jews were preparing to carry out God’s command to conquer the Promised Land, they sent spies into Jericho, the first city that had to be taken. Rahab hid the spies from the city leaders and let them know that the whole city was overcome with fear, because they had heard what God had done for the children of Israel. Without her, the spies may have been captured, and the people may not have had the courage to lay siege to Jericho. 5. Deborah (Judges 4) Deborah was a prophetess and a judge, meaning that God spoke through her to the people, and she settled disputes among the nation. During her time, the Israelites were in danger of being enslaved by the Canaanites. The men who led the army were too afraid to go into battle, so Deborah went with them to give them confidence, and the enemies of Israel were defeated. 6. Ruth (Book of Ruth) Ruth was not even Jewish by birth, but she embraced the God of Israel and became a direct ancestor of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without her, we would be without a beautiful picture of redemption and salvation, and the line of King David and the Lord Jesus would not exist. 7. Hannah (1 Samuel 1-2) Hannah was the mother of Samuel, the first prophet that God raised up after a long silence during the time of the judges. He essentially functioned as another Moses just before the people demanded a king for themselves. Without Hannah and her willingness to dedicate Samuel to God’s service, the children of Israel would have been without their main leader during his lifetime. 8. Esther (Book of Esther) Esther became the Queen of Persia through God’s providence, and she used her influence with the king to save the children of Israel from being annihilated by their enemies. Thus, the nation—the family of Jesus—was once again saved from extinction by a woman. 9. King Lemuel’s Mother (Proverbs 31) Many people don’t realize that the description of the excellent wife in Proverbs 31 was a poem of sorts from a mother to her son, which was undoubtedly meant to teach him about the kind of wife he should desire. This motherly advice has helped so many young men over the years. Without it, men would be even a little more clueless as we seek a wife for ourselves! 10. Solomon’s wife (The Song of Solomon) Since marriage is such an important relationship, it only makes sense that God would give us an entire book about it. Through the interaction of Solomon and his wife, we learn so much about romance and the realities of true love. 11. Mary (Luke 1) Mary obviously played a crucial role in the story of Scripture. Without her, we would not have the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ! Mary is probably the most revered woman in the world today. Now I must say that some of the attention that Mary receives goes too far, particularly within the Catholic Church, but Mary was correct when she said in Luke 1:48-49, “from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” Mary herself puts our focus on the proper person—God, the Mighty One—but we can highly respect Mary for her willingness to suffer potential shame and misunderstanding in order to obey God. 12. Jesus’ female disciples (Luke 8:1-3; Luke 24) Many people don’t realize that in addition to the twelve apostles, Jesus also had a group of female followers who traveled with Him during His ministry. According to Luke 8:3, these women “provided for them out of their means.” This is the only reference we have to any of Jesus’ disciples providing for the group’s needs. Undoubtedly Jesus received hospitality as He traveled, but without these women, His ministry may not have been financed. And let’s not forget that some of these same women were the first ones to discover that Jesus’ tomb was empty! 13. Phoebe (Romans 16:1-2) According to Romans 16, this woman was the messenger who carried the letter to the Romans from Paul to its destination in Rome. Without her, we may not have this important letter that has sparked so many revivals throughout the history of the church. 14. Lois and Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5) These women were the grandmother and mother of Timothy, whom we read about in the book of Acts and in the two letters that were written to him by the apostle Paul. We don’t know much at all about Timothy’s grandfather or father, but we know that these two godly women passed a genuine faith in God down through the generations of their family, and their faithfulness has touched the entire world. Without them, there would be no Timothy, and we would be missing two books of the Bible that are so important for our understanding of how we are supposed to act in the church today. Their example should be an encouragement for all mothers. Little did they know as they told little Timmy the stories of the Old Testament, that one day their faithfulness would impact the whole world. And so it is with you, mothers—you have no idea how God may use the smallest of sacrifices that you make in raising your children. So be faithful in your calling as mothers, and let all of us honor our mothers for all that they mean in our lives.

Trusting the Lord, Standing our Ground--Isaiah Series

Here in Kansas, we often feel like we are immune to some of the “culture wars” that we read about in other parts of the country. When we hear about churches being refused the chance to rent public schools on Sundays or when we read about the gay rights agenda, we think of far off places like New York and San Francisco. But the front lines of the so-called “culture wars” are really much closer than we week. Within the next few weeks, the city councils of Salina and Hutchinson will be voting on changes to city ordinances that would advance the gay rights agenda in those cities. Churches that make their facilities available to the public for rental would be directly affected. They would no longer be able to decline a rental request simply on the basis of a disapproval of homosexual behavior. So, if someone asked to rent the church for a drag party, the church could not refuse simply on the basis of a disapproval of that behavior. And lest you think that such ordinances don’t have a chance of passing, similar ordinances have already been passed in Manhattan and Wichita, though they were later repealed by the actions of concerned citizens. Biblical values are under attack in many different ways today, and none of us are far from the front lines. So how can we stand our ground when the values we hold from the Bible are attacked? Or better yet, how can we place our trust in God when others attack our values? This morning, in Isaiah 36-37, we’re going to read about a literal attack that the nation of Judah faced from Assyria during the reign of King Hezekiah. This incident can teach us some important lessons about how to trust God and stand our ground when other people attack our values. How can we trust God and stand our ground when others attack our values? As I mentioned, the story we’re going to read today took place during the reign of King Hezekiah. Along with King David and King Solomon, Hezekiah was one of the godliest kings that the nation of Judah ever had. His father, King Ahaz, had put a stop to both the sacrifices and the feasts that were commanded in the Law of Moses, but Hezekiah re-instituted both of these things. He also destroyed the bronze serpent that Moses had made in the wilderness because the people had turned it into an idol. But Hezekiah’s greatest legacy was his faith in God when the armies of Assyria marched to his doorstep. Let’s take a closer look at his example. 1. By remembering that past failures do not determine today’s choices (36:1-3) Let’s read vv. 1-3, and I want you to pay particular attention to the location where this conversation took place [READ 36:1-3]. Back in chapter 7, Isaiah confronted Hezekiah’s father, King Ahaz, at this exact location and challenged him to trust in God as he was faced with aggression from the kingdom of Israel and their neighbors, the Syrians. Now, in chapter 36, we’re back in the same location with virtually the same circumstances. The previous king of Judah had chosen not to trust in God in these circumstances, but what choice would the current king make? Hezekiah would now have to make the choice for himself, and this opportunity is important to note. He didn’t have to repeat the mistakes of the past; a new circumstance presented a new opportunity to make the right choice. This lesson is true for us as well. When someone attacks our values, that situation is intimidating enough, but we can make it even more intimidating if we bring to mind our own previous failures to trust God and make ourselves think that we can’t overcome them. But each circumstance is a new opportunity to make the right choice—past failures to not determine today’s choices. I am reminded of the story of Thomas Cranmer. Bishop Cranmer was the head of the Church of England in the mid-1500’s, shortly after the Protestant Reformation. During that time, the throne of England was passing back and forth between Protestant rulers and Catholic rulers, and each change of ruler brought persecution to the members of the opposite group. Cranmer faced severe pressure from Queen Mary I—also known as “Bloody Mary”—and to save his life, he denounced his Protestant beliefs. He later publicly announced that he had been wrong to do so, and was thus sentenced to death by burning. As his executioners prepared to burn him at the stake, he asked that his right hand be burned first since it had written the statement in which he denounced his Protestant beliefs. With each new day comes a new chance to make a different choice, a better choice—the choice to trust God. 2. By remembering that those who attack our values are building on a foundation of falsehood (36:4-22) Listen to this speech from the Assyrian official and see if you can pick out the false thinking behind it [READ 36:4-22]. There are several falsehoods in this speech. First, the Assyrians had misunderstood Hezekiah’s religious reforms. They thought Hezekiah was actually limiting the worship of the God of Judah by destroying all of the altars outside Jerusalem, but Hezekiah was actually leading the people back to a pure worship of the God of Judah. Second, they claimed that Hezekiah would be deceiving the people if he encouraged them to trust in God for deliverance. As we shall see, precisely the opposite was true. Third, the Assyrians put the God of Judah on the same level as the gods of all the other nations which they had already conquered. This was the greatest falsehood of all—to mistake the living and true God for a lifeless idol, though the God of Judah had shown His power on many previous occasions. Now when people build their claims and beliefs on a foundation of falsehood, it won’t be long before reality comes calling. Beliefs that are true are those beliefs which describe the world the way it really is. Thus, false beliefs are actually denying reality, and you can only deny reality for so long before you run into major problems. So if our biblical values are true, then those who oppose them are denying reality. They are building a house on a foundation that really isn’t there, so it’s only a matter of time before the whole house comes crashing down. We, however, are building on a firm, lasting foundation in the Word of God. 3. By choosing to believe the truth about God rather than lies (37:1-20) We can’t make the same mistake as those who are attacking our values—we must cling to what is true about God and His standards. Hezekiah was challenged by the Assyrians to believe a lie about God. Let’s continue the story [READ 37:1-13]. Notice what the king of Assyria said in v. 10—“Do not let your God deceive you.” That temptation is the oldest trick in Satan’s playbook. He wants us to believe that God is actually deceiving us. Remember how Satan approached Eve in the Garden of Eden. First he asked her, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” He deliberately misquoted God to create doubt in Eve’s mind, then he flatly contradicted what God actually said. When Eve mentioned God’s command and the punishment of death, Satan said, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan wants you and me to believe that God is lying to us. He wants us to believe that God can’t really help us; He doesn’t really love us; He won’t reward us for suffering in His name. Do you see how sneaky that temptation is? It all comes down to the question, “Who are you going to believe?” This strategy lies behind every temptation we face. Satan wants to create doubt about God’s Word, and he wants to convince us that God is actually a deceiver. Fortunately, Hezekiah didn’t take the bait, and he gives us a great example of how to preach the truth to yourself all over again [READ 37:14-20]. Notice how Hezekiah is reminding himself of the truth as he prays to make his request of God. He begins in v. 16 by addressing God as the “Lord of Hosts.” God frequently used this title for Himself through the prophets. It pictures God as the commander-in-chief of the angelic armies of heaven, so it reminds us that God has both the power and the resources to defend us. But then Hezekiah states that God isn’t just mighty and strong—He is also a personal God who has committed Himself to His people. God isn’t just God—He’s the “God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim.” That phrase is a reference to the Ark of the Covenant that was in the innermost room of the Tabernacle at first and then the Temple after it was built. God had told Moses that He would meet with him here, above the Ark of the Covenant, so this became regarded as the throne of the God of Israel. Thus, Hezekiah was reminding himself that the God of the armies of heaven dwells in the midst of His people. He isn’t distant; He is right there with them! Then, Hezekiah reminds himself that even though God has committed Himself to Israel, He is still Lord over all. At the end of v. 16 he says, “you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” So to paraphrase Hezekiah’s prayer, he has said, “God, I know you are mighty and powerful and able to defend me. I know you are right here with me, and that you are Lord over all creatures and all people.” Those are precisely the truths that we must cling to when other people attack our values. Only by maintaining this mindset can we stand our ground when our values are under attack. 4. By remembering that God is in complete control—even over those who attack our values (37:21-29) Isaiah now confirms precisely what Hezekiah prayed with a message from the Lord [READ 37:21-29]. This passage is so fascinating because the Lord states that the king of Assyria is simply carrying out His plan. The king thinks that he is acting in his own power and enforcing his own will, but in reality he is simply carrying out God’s will. My friends, here is the puzzling yet reassuring truth about those who attack our values—they are under God’s complete control! He knows their every move! Nothing they do surprises Him because they are simply carrying out His plan. This boggles the mind—why God would allow such attacks—but when He does we must not think that He has lost control or that He is simply trying to stay one step ahead of some human scheme. He is working out His plan, and we must always remember that we don’t know just how God is planning to use a situation, but we can rest assured that He has a plan that never fails, and even those who oppose Him are part of it. 5. By remembering that God can turn back our attackers in ways that we cannot imagine (37:30-38) From this final section, we should learn first of all that God can provide for us in ways that are outside the norm [READ 37:30-32]. With the Assyrian army in their land, the people weren’t able to plant their crops like usual, so God promised to provide enough for them simply from the crops that grew on their own. And since they couldn’t prepare for the following year, God promised to do the same again. Then, in three years, they could return to planting and harvesting like usual. We must always remember that God is not limited by our imaginations. God is not forced to choose from the small number of solutions that we can figure out for our problems. God is a God of miracles, and He proves it again in the remainder of the chapter [READ 37:33-38]. It is interesting that secular history confirms the events of vv. 36-38. A Babylonian historian named Berossus wrote about a disease that suddenly fell upon the Assyrian army and killed—by his count—180,000 soldiers. Other documents also record the assassination of Sennacherib by his sons, just as Scripture says. So when we find our values under attack from others, let us remember these lessons of faith from Hezekiah. God is with us, and He is in complete control—even over those who oppose Him. We can choose to trust Him in those moments even if we never have in the past, and we can remind ourselves of the truth about God to counteract the lies that we might be tempted to believe. Overall, we can look forward to a great deliverance from God that He will accomplish according to His plan.

The One True Fairytale--Isaiah Series

In recent years, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings trilogy have gained immense popularity after they were adapted into movies. These stories—which were each written by Christian men—touch on timeless themes such as good versus evil, the hope of a golden age in which good triumphs, and the promise of a chosen one who will lead the world into this golden age. I have to think that these stories have gained their popularity because their broad outlines tell the real story of mankind according to the Bible. In the Bible we read that mankind was created by God and placed into a paradise to rule over it with loving care, but we lost our position in this paradise after joining up with a rebellion against our Creator led by Satan. Ever since, mankind has been engaged in a struggle of good versus evil, with God giving us the promise that His Chosen One would come to defeat evil once and for all and lead mankind back into paradise and the honored position of rulership which we once held. Now if all of this sounds a bit like a fairytale, it’s because fairytales have freely borrowed from the storyline of the Bible for centuries. This storyline has been so captivating to us because it is true! C. S. Lewis called Christianity “the one true fairytale,” and I think that is a great description. The message of Christianity may appear too good to be true, but that is only an appearance, because the awesome reality is that it is true! In Isaiah 32-35, we read more about this Chosen One whom God has promised to send and how He will bring the world into a Golden Age that will restore so much of what we lost from the Garden of Eden. Let’s allow our hearts to rejoice and our imaginations to soar as we learn more about the coming kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. In what ways will God’s original design for the world be restored during the kingdom of Christ? 1. Mankind will rule over the world in righteousness and justice (32:1-8; 33:5-6; 33:17-22) According to Genesis 1, this is why God created us in the first place. He used Himself as the blueprint to create us so that we could be like His princes and princesses in this world by taking care of it and ruling over the other creatures within it. We strayed from God’s design for us when we sinned, but God has never given up on His original plan for us. Mankind will one day fulfill the role for which we were created, and this will be primarily through the reign of the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will rule over this world as the perfect expression of what mankind was meant to be. Let’s read a bit about His reign [READ 32:1-8]. I think v. 5 of that passage is so encouraging—“the fool will no more be called noble, nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.” Think of how much suffering has been unleashed in this world through fools and scoundrels who have gotten into positions of power. Think of the people in North Korea today; think of the people of Cuba; think of the policy of infanticide in China. But when Jesus reigns, fools and scoundrels will never again be in positions of power, because Christ Himself will be our King. Now please follow with me as I read 33:17-22 [READ 33:17-22]. Notice in v. 22 that Jesus will fulfill all three of the tasks that our government has assigned to different branches. The Lord is our judge—there’s the judicial branch; the Lord is our lawgiver—there’s the legislative branch; and the Lord is our king—there’s the executive branch. Now at the present time, it is wise for us to divide those powers because of the possibility of government corruption and abuse, but when Jesus reigns, we won’t have to worry about that problem anymore! So Jesus will be Lord over all in His kingdom, but notice that Isaiah 32:1 also mentioned princes who will rule. These princes could be you and me depending on the rewards we receive from Christ. This idea corresponds to what Jesus told the Apostles in Matthew 19:28—“Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” This reward is held out to all followers of Christ in verses like Revelation 2:26-27, where Jesus states, “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.” So one day—led by the Lord Jesus as King—mankind will rule over the world as God has always intended. According to the Bible in the Gospel of John (12:31, 14:30, 16:11), Satan is the ruler of this world today because he has deceived us all into rebelling against God. But when Jesus takes His throne in this world, mankind will have a kind of second chance to do what God created us to do in the first place. 2. The Earth will be abundantly fruitful and productive (32:9-15; 35:1-2, 6b-7) Around here, we know what it’s like to struggle with the Earth to make it fruitful and productive. We battle weeds that threaten to dominate and choke out our crops. We feel the effects of droughts and severe storms. But the Earth has not always been this way. Adam had been given the task of working the ground in the Garden of Eden, but his efforts were not resisted by thorns and weeds until after he had sinned. When God spoke to Adam after his sin, He said, “cursed is the ground because of you” (Gen. 3:17). When mankind began to suffer the effects of sin, so did the Earth over which he had been made to rule. But Scripture tells us that this situation will be reversed when the Lord Jesus reigns in this world. Look at a couple of passages with me [READ 32:9-15; 35:1-2, 6b-7]. Imagine what it will be like to work the ground without having to battle weeds, to have the satisfaction of an abundant harvest from your efforts! Now notice that Isaiah 32:15 tied the renewal of the Earth together with a spiritual renewal for mankind. That verse stated that the present conditions would continue, “until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high.” Since the Earth is suffering because of our sin, its suffering will end when righteousness reigns during the kingdom of Christ. Paul described this connection between the Earth and mankind in Romans 8:19-21—“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” So just as the rule of mankind will be restored to what it was meant to be, the Earth will be restored to what it was meant to be as well. 3. Mankind will live in peace with each other (32:16-18) Hostility came into the human race as a result of sin, and hostility was only magnified after our race was divided at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. The threat of violence from other people is one of the worst things that we have to live with today. Some people face the threat of violence from their own parents or their own spouse. Many more people face the threat of violence from their neighbors, and even more people face the threat of violence from their own government or from the people of a neighboring country. But friends, Jesus ain’t called the Prince of Peace for nothing! His kingdom will be characterized by peace and quiet [READ 32:16-18]. I know we think we have it good around here, where we can get away with leaving our doors unlocked, but even Montezuma isn’t totally untouched by the threat of violence. But one day, Jesus the King will bring about true world peace, which people have only dreamed about for so long. What a time to look forward to! 4. Human suffering of every kind will be eliminated Suffering in our lives can take several different forms because of the different aspects of our humanity. We know that we have a physical aspect to who we are, an emotional aspect, a spiritual aspect, and a mental aspect as well, and we can face suffering in each of these different areas. But when Christ sets up His kingdom, He will address all of these areas of suffering and alleviate them: • Physical (33:24, 35:5-6) • Emotional (35:10) • Spiritual (33:24) • Mental (35:3-4) The Old Testament consistently describes the promised kingdom as a time when human suffering will be alleviated. That’s why Jesus gave the answer that He did when John the Baptist had a moment of doubt about whether Jesus was truly God’s chosen one. John had sent messengers to Jesus to ask Him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus said, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” To a Jewish person like John the Baptist, this was the clearest answer that Jesus could give—I am relieving human suffering! And the Lord Jesus will do so again when He once again walks on this Earth. Make no mistake, my friends—Jesus is coming again! Isaiah makes it clear in chapter 33 that this fact should be a source of fear for those who reject God, but He also describes for us the kind of person who has no need to fear the return of Christ. Let’s consider what Isaiah wrote in 33:13-16 [READ 33:13-16]. Notice that the person described in vv. 15-16 has a proper concern for God and a proper concern for others. These attitudes are consistent with what Jesus called the two greatest commandments—to love the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. This person’s concern for God is shown by the fact that he “walks righteously and speaks uprightly.” In both his conduct and his speech, he is mindful of God’s commands. His concern for others is seen in that he “despises the gain of oppressions.” He does not oppress others just to get something for himself, as we see in the fact that he also refuses to take a bribe. Isaiah also writes that he “stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil.” Now this statement does NOT mean that he ignores violence committed against others—it means that he will not listen to temptations to do violence himself. He guards the points of entry where suggestions can enter the mind—namely, the eyes and the ears. Now as anyone knows who has ever tried to live this way, we simply cannot produce this kind of behavior ourselves. As we’ve been reminded this morning, our hearts are tainted by sin, but Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven during His first coming to the Earth. Jesus offered himself as a sinless sacrifice for us by dying on the cross in our place to pay the price for our sins. Then He rose from the grave, and 40 days later He returned to heaven to wait until God the Father would send Him back into this world to establish His kingdom. His sacrifice for us makes us fit to enter His kingdom if we will confess our sin to God and believe that Jesus has paid the full price for our sins so that we can be saved.

A Father's Love for Rebellious Children--Isaiah Series

Every parent’s greatest nightmare is that their children will one day stop listening to them, stop responding to their discipline, and rebel against them. Most of us have seen others go through this heart-wrenching experience, and it can give us an almost irrational fear that its going to happen to us. Yet we have also seen enough of these situations to know that rebellion does not have to be the last chapter in that parent-child relationship. Reconciliation can occur, and it can lead to blessings that no one ever could have imagined. Throughout Scripture, God is often pictured as the Father of His people, so it should be no surprise that the Bible also pictures sin as an act of rebellion by a child against his parent. Isaiah 28-31 pictures the people of Israel as children who have rebelled against their Father, God. These chapters describe a list of sins that have come between God and His people, and this list can be very informative for us as we assess our behavior. What had pulled the children of Israel away from their Father? 1. Drunkenness (28:1-8) The impairment of judgment that comes from being drunk is an open invitation for sinful decisions. Back in chapter 5, God had pronounced doom on those who were pursuing alcohol, and now he visits this subject again [READ 28:1-8]. Notice how even those people who were supposed to be spiritual leaders were giving in to drunkenness. Isaiah mentions the priests and the prophets—referring here to the false prophets whom the people listened to because they told the people what they wanted to hear. So the people were being led by others who had their own judgment impaired by drunkenness. According to Scripture, drunkenness is a sin in its own right, but it also leaves us vulnerable to all kinds of temptations and sinful behaviors. Since our hearts are naturally inclined toward sin, we have to be sober and have our wits about us in order to be on guard against the sinful impulses that naturally arise within our hearts. That’s why drunkenness is so serious—it impairs our ability to think and thus counteract the sinful impulses that we have. Ephesians 5:18 says, “do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,” which means a departure from the path of virtue. The Greek word behind that translation emphasizes recklessness and carelessness. Getting drunk is a reckless choice because it leaves us vulnerable to all kinds of temptations. The alternative, according to Ephesians 5:18, is to be filled with the Spirit. Rather than hand control of ourselves over to alcohol, we need to hand control of ourselves over to the Holy Spirit—to ask Him to empower us to make good judgments. By and large, our culture is far too casual about consuming something as powerful as alcohol. Advertisers spend millions upon millions of dollars to convince us that alcohol is the key to having a good time—just crack open a cold one and let the good times roll! But the Bible sobers us up about the dangers of alcohol. We must be very wise about how we handle something with such potential for danger. 2. An unwillingness to listen to Him (28:9-13, 30:8-11) How often do we see this attitude in our own children? They are unwilling to take our advice, and since we’ve been at this thing called “life” longer than they have, we know they are making a bad decision, but we just can’t get them to listen to us. We can actually adopt the same kind of attitude toward God, as the children of Israel had in Isaiah’s time [READ 30:8-11]. Now God was obviously describing the people’s attitude in these verses, not their actual words, because no one knowingly asks for false things to be taught to them. But these verses point out the deceptive nature of messages that come from the world rather than from God. The people wanted to hear “smooth things,” as it says in v. 10—things that go down easy, things that are easy to accept and pleasant to hear. God’s message through Isaiah was one of repentance and warnings about punishment, but the people didn’t want to hear that because it told them they were wrong and they needed to change. When we are presented with one message which tells us that we are wrong and another message that tells us that we are right, we want to believe the message which tells us that we are right because its much easier to accept. Its hard to admit that you’re wrong—that pill doesn’t go down smooth; that pill is a hard one to swallow. In chapter 28, we read that some of the people mocked Isaiah’s message as being too childish and unsophisticated [READ 28:9-10]. In Hebrew, the repetition of those words creates an effect that just sounds like a baby babbling (Sav lasav, sav lasav, Kav lakav, kav lakav, Ze' er sham, ze' er sham). So these scoffers were saying that Isaiah’s message from God was nothing more than baby talk. How ironic that they would reject a message from God as mere baby talk, because in the Gospels Jesus tells us “whoever humbles himself like a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:4). They said the message was only fit for children, and ironically, they were correct in a way. How do we get to the point where we look down our noses at the Word of God? How do we lose our child-like faith in the Bible? Right now, we are teaching Adrianna that little song that says, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” How do we lose that simple trust in God’s Word? Well, it starts as we grow up. We start to learn more and more things, and before long we’re feeling pretty smart. We don’t feel like we need God’s advice as much because we think we’re starting to figure everything out. Then we hear criticisms about the Bible from so-called experts and we don’t want to be weird, so we tone down our confidence in the Bible. At that point, we no longer consult the Bible for all matters of life and faith, and the culture continues to tell us that the Bible is a wonderfully inspirational read, but its teachings just aren’t relevant for today. So our child-like faith gets undermined from within as we become wise in our own eyes and from without as we are pressured to conform to the wisdom of this world. And as all parents know, when your children won’t listen to good advice, there’s nothing left but for them to learn the hard way. I don’t believe God desires to teach us the hard way, but Hebrews 12 reminds us that He will discipline us when need be because He loves us and He wants to restore us to a place of blessing. 3. Hypocrisy (29:13-14) For all of the criticisms of the people of Israel that we have read in this book, we must remember that they were still very religious. They hadn’t abandoned the feasts and the sacrifices that God called for in the Law of Moses, but unfortunately their actions no longer flowed from hearts that were devoted to God. They were simply going through the motions, following traditions which they had been taught. Look at 29:13-14. The Lord Jesus quoted v. 13 in the Gospels to describe the Pharisees [READ 29:13-14]. What a sad consequence that we read of in v. 14. When God looked at the hearts of His people, He could see that they really didn’t want to hear what He had to say, so He was going to make them numb to His message. It is truly sad when people fall into hypocrisy because they are deceiving themselves. They think everything is okay between them and God because they are keeping up an outward conformity to His commands, but they are not allowing the purifying power of God’s Word to penetrate their hearts. Because our hearts are inclined toward sin, hypocrisy is a major threat to all of us—even if we only succumb to little bouts of it here and there. This threat is all the more real after we have established good spiritual habits in our lives, because habits can easily slip into rituals which we can mindlessly perpetuate. Hypocrisy can also be reinforced in a church setting in which church members are condemning toward each other and unwilling to admit their own faults. In these settings, we want to put up a good front for the people at church no matter what our lives are really like, and if we do that long enough we can convince ourselves that the good front is reality. The remedy for hypocrisy is integrity, where we have every part of our lives pointing in the same direction. Hypocrisy offers no rest for our souls because there is always tension from the various parts of our lives that are going in different directions, but integrity offers the sweet peace of a life that is wholly devoted to God. 4. A belief that God didn’t know their actions (29:15-16) Do you remember when you were a child and you just couldn’t figure out how your parents always knew what you were up to—especially when you were doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing? We never realized how obvious our behavior was, nor did we know about the advanced network of spies that our parents had around the neighborhood in other parents. Somehow it just never occurred to us that parents talked to each other about what we were up to! We read in chapter 29 that the children of Israel had a faulty understanding of God which led them to believe that God didn’t know everything that was going on. If you’ve ever been tempted to think that doctrine and theology are boring and irrelevant for daily life, here is yet another reminder that nothing could be further from the truth. Bad theology had given the children of Israel a twisted way of thinking, which led to an ungodly way of living [READ 29:15-16]. The children of Israel in the Old Testament lived during a time of widespread idolatry—some of which they bought into themselves. Idols were commonly thought to be localized gods who had authority over a certain area—like the mountains or the oceans—or a certain aspect of nature—like the harvest or fertility. The common denominator is that all of these idols were thought to have some kind of limits on their power, and it seems that the children of Israel had allowed that kind of thinking to influence the way they thought about their God—the one true God. Now I doubt that we would fall into this exact temptation, because I think most of us understand that God is everywhere and He knows everything. But I suspect that we could fall into a mindset in which we think that God doesn’t care about all aspects of our lives in the same way or He doesn’t care about every moment of our lives in the same way. We tend to think that certain moments or certain events in our lives are more important than others, so we might let “little” sins or “tiny” bad habits persist in our lives because we don’t think they are “that BIG of a deal.” But I don’t think God looks at our lives in quite the same way. He knows that every moment of life is significant and every choice we make is significant. He doesn’t pay attention to certain parts of our lives more than others—He cares about them all, so we must as well! 5. Looking for protection in other people rather than Him (30:1-5, 31:1-3) At this period of time, Assyria was becoming a major threat to the other nations of the Middle East—much like Iran today. All of the nations in the Middle East today must decide how they will protect themselves, and Israel in Isaiah’s day had to make the same decision. But rather than simply trust in the promises of protection that God had already given to them, the leaders of Israel chose to seek for an alliance with Egypt, displaying an unfortunate lack of trust in God [READ 30:1-5, 31:1-3]. On a personal level for us today, we don’t have many concerns about our safety, and that is a tremendous blessing. But God calls on us to trust in Him during droughts, during economic downturns, during times of personal suffering and at all other moments in our lives. The question that is ever before is this—will we trust God to be in control or will we try to control our own situations through some sinful means? Will we choose to trust God’s promises or will we not? The children of Israel at that were living like rebellious children against God their Father, but like any loving parent, God was ready to forgive His people and bless them once again [READ 30:18-22]. My friend, are you living in rebellion against God today? He is waiting for you; He is listening to hear your voice. He is ready to forgive you the moment that you repent of your sins and ask His forgiveness. Do not delay another day—run into the open arms of God your Father!

Go Rest High On That Mountain--Isaiah Series

Not so long ago, our little corner of Kansas was something of a highway for wagon trains that were travelling along the Santa Fe Trail. In general terms, this trail led people from cities back east—like Kansas City—to the mountainous area of the American Southwest. Trails like this have been an enduring image of American history and culture.

The picture of a trail is a biblical image as well that is used as a metaphor for our journey through life. In Isaiah 25-27, this metaphor covers terrain that calls to mind one of the great trails of the American West, as these chapters picture history moving from the cities of man to the mountain of God. Beginning with Babel in the book of Genesis, cities in the Bible often represent the heights of human accomplishment and are thus sources of pride for humanity that can lead them to feel self-sufficient. It’s not that cities are inherently bad—they are just idolized, especially at that time when all major cities were literally fortresses. Kings and their subjects felt that they were literally untouchable within the walls of their capital city.

In contrast to the cities of man, the seat of God’s future kingdom in this world is pictured as a mountain—something that is strong, enduring, immovable and unconquerable. Isaiah 25-27 pictures God humbling and destroying the cities of man to establish His holy mountain as a place of safety, peace, and celebration for His people. His mountain represents both the kingdom of Jesus Christ that we will enjoy in this world and the home with God that we will enjoy on the New Heavens and the New Earth. Let’s trace this path from the city to the mountain, and then we’ll discuss how we should live as we travel through life and wait for God to establish his kingdom.

The cities of man…

First of all, let’s take a look at the description of the cities of man in this chapter. We see from the opening verses of this section that:

…are not indestructible; they are vulnerable to the judgments of God (25:1-2; 27:10-11)

The first verses of this section describe what God had already done to some of the cities of Israel’s neighbors [READ 25:1-2]. This activity of God foreshadows further judgment to come upon the world in the future as described in 27:10-11 [READ 27:10-11]. The last part of v. 11 describes why God will bring judgment upon mankind—because we lack discernment. Our lack of discernment is revealed by the fact that we are at odds with our maker. Think about what its like for a little child to rebel against his parents, and then magnify that. We exist because of God—are we really to think that anything we can do or make cannot be undone by Him? Do we really think that we can disregard His commands and place our trust in something else?

Such foolishness on the part of mankind will one day be exposed when God humbles our race with his judgments. We will see then that even our grandest accomplishments cannot sustain us or withstand the judgments of God.

…are home to ruthless people who oppress the poor and needy (25:3-5)

In 25:2, Isaiah recalled how God had already acted in judgment against some of the cities and nations of his day, so he says in the next few verses [READ vv. 3-5]. Fortunately, God has a special concern for the poor and needy in our world, and He has provided some much-needed protection for them because the history of our race has been one of oppression and violence, often committed against the weakest members of society. Think about all of the Communist leaders who claim to represent the common folk, who then turn around and slaughter so many of their own people. Power structures in virtually every society have led to subjugation and oppression.

But, Isaiah 26:21 assures us that…

…will have all of their sins disclosed and judged (26:21)

This verse states [READ 26:21]. Think about all of the unsolved crimes in our world, all of the victims who have not yet seen justice. Rest assured that there will be no more cold cases when the Judge of all the earth settles accounts. The Lord will see to it that justice is served when He prepares to set up His kingdom. His kingdom is described in glorious terms in these chapters through the imagery of a mountain.

The mountain of God…

…is a place of feasting and celebration (25:6)

[READ 25:6] I think we have every reason to take this verse literally, which means that we will actually enjoy a feast with God—perhaps many of them. In the Gospels we read that Jesus could eat and drink after He was resurrected—in fact He did so to show the disciples that He had a real body and He wasn’t just some kind of ghost. Can you imagine enjoying a feast with Jesus? We look forward to family dinners today—how about a meal prepared for us by Jesus, with all of our Christian brothers and sisters there?

…is free from death and pain, a place where God dwells with man and our hope finds its fulfillment (25:7-9)

Though the sting of death has already been taken away by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, death is still a grievous experience for us because it means a temporary separation from our loved ones and a temporary separation of our soul from our body. But one day, even death will be no more, and we will be in the presence of our God, whom we have longed for so many years. Just imagine what it will be like to see Jesus for the first time and to have our hope of being with Him fulfilled. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes a heart sick,” and don’t we feel that way sometimes? The longer we are in this world, the more wearisome it becomes, but one day our hope will be fulfilled, and our gladness will no longer have any twinge of sadness with it. Joy will no longer be the silver lining around a dark cloud—it will be our constant reality.

…is a place where God’s people are fruitful under His loving care (27:2-6)

Back in Isaiah 5, God described the people of Israel as a vineyard which produced rotten fruit. He was like a loving master gardener, but they were like vines that produced stink fruit. But one day, in Christ’s kingdom on Earth, His people will produce the fruit of righteousness under His loving care [READ 27:2-6]. Someday, God’s people Israel will be a righteous nation before Him, and we will join them building a righteous civilization in this world.

I hope at this point you just feel like shouting, “Come, Lord Jesus!” We are ready for this, aren’t we? But the timing is up to God, not us, and so until that day comes, how should we live as history is traveling the path from the cities of man to the mountain of God?

1. With a confident expectation of deliverance from God’s wrath (26:21)

As we read about the terrible descriptions of God’s judgment being poured out upon the world, it is easy to feel shaken and fearful. But I believe that as God’s people, we will be delivered from this coming time of wrath. Isaiah 26:20-21 speaks of God’s people being hidden away and protected during the time when God carries out his judgments [READ 26:20-21].

According to Scripture, God has a history of protecting His people during times when He has carried out judgments. Think of Noah and his family, who were spared from the worldwide flood. Think of Lot and his daughters, who were saved from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Think of the children of Israel during the plagues against Egypt. The Bible states that the area of Egypt in which the Israelites lived was unaffected. The clearest example of God’s protection was the Passover. If God’s protection wasn’t evident before, it certainly was after that night.

In 2 Peter 2, the apostle recounts some of these same events, and he states in v. 9—“the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” I believe the descriptions of future judgment that we have read about in Isaiah will be fulfilled during a time known as “the Tribulation,” which is thoroughly described in the book of Revelation. I further believe that God will actually take the church out of the world prior to the Tribulation in an event known as the Rapture.

Thus, those of us who believe in the Lord today will not be on the Earth during the Tribulation. Instead, we will be with Him in heaven, and then we will return with Him when He comes to establish His kingdom in this world. And so, even though we should be sobered by the realization that there is a period of God’s judgment yet to come on the world, we can have the confident expectation that we will be spared from it—just as God has spared His people in times past.

2. By trusting in God and staying on the path of righteousness in our behavior (26:1-8)

Both of these actions are commended in Isaiah 26:1-8, and a blessing is mentioned for each of them as well. First, look at the blessing that comes from trusting God in vv. 1-4 [READ vv. 1-4]. We saw earlier that the cities of man are not indestructible, but according to the verse that we just read, “the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” We can trust in Him for strength and protection and know that He will always be here for us. And the blessing that comes from placing our trust in God is peace! My translation says “perfect peace;” the original Hebrew literally says, “peace peace.” The Hebrew language uses repetition like this for emphasis—as we saw with the angels declaring that God is not just holy, but “holy, holy, holy.”

This peace will come in its fullness when we are in heaven because we will literally have no enemies, but we get a foretaste of this peace today when we choose to trust in God. Verse 3 states that the battle to maintain this kind of trust takes place in the mind, and don’t we all know how true that is? That is why its so important for us to fill our minds with Scripture so that we can remember the promises of God and choose to believe them. Then we can be free from the anxiety and fear that come when we choose not to trust God.

A few verses later, Isaiah commends righteous or godly behavior and mentions a blessing for such behavior. Look at vv. 7-8 [READ vv. 7-8]. The level path of the righteous in v. 7 speaks of ease and smooth sailing. In a culture where people did a lot of traveling by foot, a level path was just the kind of path you wanted because it was easier to walk on. You didn’t have to exert as much effort and there was less chance that you would slip and fall.

When we choose to carry out godly behavior, we make life easier for ourselves. Generally speaking, life is easier and more pleasant when you obey God. Obedience keeps you from bringing more problems into your life. And even when problems come, obedience makes it easier to deal with them because it keeps you from making the problems worse.

So as history travels the path from the cities of man to the mountain of God, let us choose to travel the path of godly behavior, trusting in God to be our protection and the fulfillment of our hope.