Midweek Advent 1 – Dec. 5, 2019 – Is. 2:1-5
Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Old Testament Lesson just read, from Isaiah 2. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- During the history of Isaiah’s time, things looked extremely dire for the Church. The ten northern tribes had been overwhelmed by the Assyrians, taken captive and deported, never to be heard from again in human history. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, had surrounded Jerusalem with a force of 185,00 soldiers. However, God delivered Jerusalem and the two southern tribes.
- Nonetheless, the idolatry and immorality of the past continued to prevail in this truncated nation of Israel, and through Isaiah and Jeremiah, God continued to warn of the ultimate destruction of the nation unless people repented. They never did – and Jeremiah presided over the conquest of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.
- What was left of the true church, of those believers who continued in a life of repentance and in the faith of Abraham, faith that God would send a Savior to take away our sin and guilt? Not much! And so the words of our text are surprising and important.
- Even when it appears that the church is on the ropes, destined to fade into nothing, this is never the case, for God has promised that in the end “THE CHURCH PREVAILS.” We see the comforts of these promises, this reality, in the words of our text. First, that:
I. In The End The Church Shall Be Established And Exalted
Text: “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 the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills.”
A. People Will Flow Into The Church To Learn God’ s Ways, And To Walk In Them
Text: “And all the nations shall flow to it, and many people shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.’”
B. This Word Of God – Revealing His Will And His Ways – Comes To Us Within The Church
Text: “For out of Zion shall go the law, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
Statement: This is a glorious and wondrous thing, the fulfillment of thousands of our thoughts and prayers! First, that God and His Kingdom be lifted up and exalted and glorified! Second, that many people be attracted to the church for the right reasons – to learn God’s ways AND to walk in His paths! That is a life of repentance, faith in God’s gracious love and gift of salvation, and commitment to decency and love. Would to God that it was so even today! And this much is true today – that the Church continues to be the preacher and facilitator of the Word of God – by which this remarkable turnaround is to occur.
Application: So we are participating in this great renewal already – if in fact we are eager to learn God’s ways and walk in His paths. Being here today you are witnessing the Word of God being taught – and it is always within the church! And if we continue within the church of God, His Mountain, His Zion, His Jerusalem, then we will also see the peoples come streaming into the church of God!
Transition: And this means an end to all injustice and evil, for according to our text:
II. Christ Will Settle All Disputes When He Comes
Text: “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples.”
A. He Will Destroy All Evil And Establish Peace, Removing Violence
Text: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not life up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
B. This Will Enable God’s People To Walk Entirely In His Wondrous Light, His Great Love
Text: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD.”
Statement: Again, what a wondrous and glorious thing this will be, when Christ ends all conflict, all argument, all evil! This also will be the answer to millions of prayers over the centuries! And the full freedom, finally, to walk fully and completely in “the light of the LORD,” this will be marvelous beyond belief!
Application: Drink all of this in, and implant it firmly in your notions and speculations on the future! Remember where you need to be in order to be on the winning side in the end! Do not flock to where sinful people go today; their popularity will not last, nor will evil itself. Rather, root yourself in the church – this is where the future lies! In it you also will be lifted up and exalted!
Conclusion: Remember the context within which Isaiah delivered this message. No matter how dire or dismal the circumstances of the church may seem to be, it is an illusion; the church “shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it.” Thanks and praise be to God, Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep you hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.