Advent Sermon Series Hope
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Where are you going?
Where are you going?
Isaiah 2:1-8
Isaiah 2:1-8
Where do you see your self in the next 5 years? This is often a question that a job interviewer might ask you. Or to put it another way, where are you going, where are you wanting to end up in your journey of life? What would be your response.Is it running your own business, is it having enough money to retire on and travel. Or maybe it is returning to a point in your life where you had no debts. Is it your investments and others assetts yeilding you great return.
Or maybe it’s your weight, getting back to your original healthy weight, or returning to your original dress size. Or is it returning to a more innocent time in your life. Perhaps its a sea change, for Mel she would love to retire in Albany one day where she was originally from. What ever it is, we have goals and asspirations. It’s ok to have aspirations, goals etc. but that is not where our hope lies, its not our final destination. That is with God in his kingdom, where we have citizenship through the birth that we Celebrate in 5 weeks. Jesus!
Our Three Points
Lost Kingdom, Found Kingdom
How to lose the Kingdom
How to find the Kingdom
1. Lost Kingdom, Found Kingdom
For the Israelites in Daniel’s day (and beyond) there goal was like my wife, not not to go to Albany but to get back to the Garden of Eden, where, becasue of their sin and failure to keep God’s law they were sealed out of the perfect place where God was. Look at Daniel on what the future kingdom would look like.
This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2:1 - The superscription claims that these words did not arise from his own imagination; these were words he “saw, perceived through divine revelation” (ḥāzâ).
Some of the themes here parallel 66:18–21 at the end of the book. The emphasis on God’s plans to redeem the nations in 11:12; 14:1–2; 19:20–25; 45:20–23; 49:22–26; 60:1–9 demonstrates that this is a central theme in his writings.
Isaiah 2:2-4 “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
2:2-4 - The purpose for describing God’s future kingdom was to present a vision of what God will ultimately do in Zion, so that the audience can choose either to be a part of God’s plan (2:5) or to reject it.
Micah 4:1-5 “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.”
Imagine or hope for a world where the art or science of war is no longer needed, I am not talking about defunding the military like the left would have. But to actually have no need for even the teaching of war. Could you imagine the kind of Peace needed for that world, a seemingly foolish hope. Or where no one coveted other’s possesions, power or pleasure. Like we see in Micha
The text of Isaiah 2:4 is engraved on a wall at the United Nations headquarters in New York City and that a large sculpture of a blacksmith beating a sword into a plowshare adorns the U.N. grounds. In Washington D.C., there is a large plowshare sculpture onto which thousands of disabled guns have been welded. The label reads “Guns into Plowshares” (Limburg, 295). These human efforts to establish peace, while commendable, are not acheievable in the context of these verses. The vision communicated in these verses cannot be fulfilled apart from the grace of God. So the Kind of peace needed is achieved by God, it is not a foolish hope, but a very real hope we have in Christ.
“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’
“ ‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’
Picture it, a new hope borned of a place that would stand forever. They saw nations rise and fall, they watched their own nation under attack. Eventually as declared in this very book, they would be exiled - but Isaiah shows them hope by declaring what would seem like a utopia of a place, but would be and is a very real place.
New Relationships are the New Kingdom
This new era will inaugurate a series of new relationships between
(a) God and his dwelling place in Zion,
(b) God and the people who come to hear him teach, and
(c) God and various warring nations. God will transform the present world by his presence, his teaching, and his just judgment.
The new Zion will have great prominence as the “highest, chief” (rôʾš) mountain in order to symbolize the new importance given to the dwelling place of God. This is important to note, as in ancient antiquity the higher your God was the more powerful your God was and he ruled all beneath him. God being at the highest peak, said that God of Israel was the most powerful and ruled everything, including other people groups gods (idols).
The geographical setting of the historical city of Jerusalem is located on a lower mountain than the Mount of Olives to the east, which might imply something of an inferior status in the eyes of some ancient people.
In the ancient Near Eastern world temples were usually built on the highest place available, so they would be closer to heaven. This new exaltation of God’s dwelling place will symbolically demonstrate to the nations the superior glory and greatness of God.
Surprisingly, Isaiah does not focus on Judah’s response to God’s glorious presence in Zion, but on the nations coming to hear God’s words (2:2b–3; see also 19:19–25). God’s plans for mankind always included his desire to reach the whole world, not just the small nation of Judah (45:22–23; 49:26; 60:3).
This text even ignores the role the chosen people of Judah would play in God’s plan to reach the nations (Gen 12:1–3). Which you would expect if this was an established earthly kingdom back then. Instead Isaiah describes an endless stream of people from all over the world who will encourage others to join them as they go up (see also 14:1–2; 56:6–7; 60:1–14; 66:18–21)
What will be the attraction that will draw the nations? Why will there be this mass migration to Zion? What will motivate these foreigners to stream to Jerusalem? It is the opportunity to attend the best and latest seminar that anyone can imagine! The God of Israel will be the main speaker and he will teach those who accept his ways and follow his truth.
Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
2:5 - Isaiah ends this brief look at the ideal Zion of the future with a call for his audience to transform their thinking, to reorient their worldview, and to change their behavior based on their knowledge of what God will do in the future (2:5). Judah and its leaders can go their merry way and continue to be self-absorbed, or they can choose to glorify God and follow his instructions.
in 2:3 (imperative plus cohortative), Isaiah exhorts his own people in Jerusalem to follow the example of the foreign nations of the future. In this exhortation the “light of the Lord” in 2:5 is parallel to the teaching of God in 2:3.
The people’s response to this choice will determine whether Isaiah’s audience will enjoy the kingdom God has prepared for those who follow him, or miss out on this great privilege. That same choice is required of all people since the time of Isaiah.
People in every generation must choose to come to God, learn of his ways, and enjoy his kingdom, or they can proudly focus on their own accomplishments, close their ears and eyes to what God says, and suffer a humiliation similar to what Isaiah prophesies.
2. How to lose the Kingdom
Isaiah 2:6-8 “You, Lord, have abandoned your people, the descendants of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and embrace pagan customs. Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made.”
How to not enter the kingdom of God.
The assimilation of pagan religious practices 2:6b
A focus/dependence on wealth 2:7a
Relying on the security of a large army 2:7b
The worship of idols 2:8
2:6 - This acceptance of other religious practices could be due to Uzziah’s conquest of several Philistine cites to the west and the Arabs and Ammonites to the east (2 Chr 26:6–8).
Some of the Philistine gods and goddesses of the Philistines included Baal, Astarte, Asherah, and Dagon. The names and characteristics of these deities are also elements of the Canaanite religion.
The last line of 2:6 refers to the obscure practice of “clapping, slapping, or grasping” (yaśpîqû) hands with the children of foreigners, which some interpret either as a gesture used in making alliances, sealing a commercial agreement (Prov 6:1), or some kind of foreign religious worship practice.
3. How to find the Kingdom
Its not a how but a who!
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Many fall into the trap of trying to usher in the kingdom by their own strength, even those around Jesus thought (like throughout Israel’s history) that they would take the kingdom by force, they would fight their way to peace. We are no different, here is a picture of our own dillusion of strength. Driving down the road with a mattress on the roof, with one hand out holding it thinking we are going to stop it flying off. Look at what has and is popular in Christianity, two books summarize it Purpose driven life, and purpose driven church lead to guys like Osteen, Furtick and other legalistic christianized self help type of christianity. However, it has all been done for us by God through Christ that is how the kingdom was and is established.
New Relationships
a)New relationship with God through his Son
b) New realtionship with each other through the Son
c) New relationship with the nations through the Son (every tongue, tribe, nation)
Kingdom of Peace - Ushered in by the Prince of Peace - The Son. Gardening tools are now back. Access back to the Garden of Eden (God’s presence) - through his death the middle wall of separation fell, and the curtain with the picture of the Cheribums guarding the Garden was torn, symbolizing our return to God/Garden through the Son.
We can accept the new kingdom through the Son or not accept it and walk away
• Daniel 12:1-4
“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
Isaiah describes an endless stream of people from all over the world who will encourage others to join them as they go up. We as the church from every tongue, tribe and nation fulfil this endless stream of people who call others to join the stream. Who call them to the bible where God speaks and teaches us in anticipation when we are physically before him and that greatest seminar will never end. Because of this new Kingdom that was inuguariated at Jesus first coming, and started as him being a baby in a manger.
Dont let paganism enter into your christianity, or practices of other religious beliefs. Don’t love money or pursue it above God, don’t be self relient in your own strengths, don’t do works to earn your position, and do not build up idols, including finding your worth and identity even in ministry. As I mentioned before Some of the false gods included Baal, Astarte, Asherah, and Dagon. They represented worshipping creation like stars, moons, skys, sex and sexual freedom, sacrifice of children and evolotion (Dagon fish/man) rather than the Creator all things we find today that creep into the church via the world.
