The Terror of the LORD
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Refresh
Around 700 BC, during the reign of 4 kings of Judah
Isaiah is mostly about Judah, the southern kingdom, but also cover other nations.
It’s all about Jesus. The whole Bible finds it’s fulfillment in Christ.
As we talk about this word, there are multiple layers of application, and so I will try to mix it up, to talk about various way this Word engages us to acts.
As individuals & families
As towns & communities
As nations
As the capital-C Church Universal
Local church
In the previous passage we got pronouncements of judgment, then a message of hope. Then judgment, then hope, and a little more judgement.
Today in chapter 2, we get
a beautiful vision of a day of blessing, ending with an admonition to faithfulness.
a terrifying three-fold vision of a Day of wrath, ending with an admonition to stop trusting humanity.
Vision of a day of Restoration & Blessing - v1-4
(Be Faithful - v5)
Three-fold vision of a Day of Wrath & Judgement - v6-21
(Stop trusting humanity - v22)
Now, even though those four sections would make an ideal sermon outline, I’m going to subvert your expectations and do something different.
We’re going to look at three big take-away’s from this chapter.
God Raises his own Mountain
God lower prideful man
God Rises to terrify the Earth.
God’s Raises His Own Mountain
God’s Raises His Own Mountain
Remember we’re reading a genre of writing, prophetic oracles. God uses figurative language. Poetry paints a picture, comparing something with something else.
Prophecy uses poetic language too:
Sometimes it is literal, Jesus would literally be a king who rode a donkey colt.
More often it is poetic. John the baptist was not in civil construction, he didn’t literally build a highway in the desert for Jesus’ arrival.
As we read, be thinking primarily in the figurative, and poetic. It is real, it is true, and it may be literal, but not often.
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 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; and all the nations shall flow to it,
He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.
He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
That is the future for God’s people, but then the prophetic word turns from the beautiful restorative picture of God’s people with God, to an assessment of where things are today in Judah, and the consequences they will face.
God Lowers prideful humanity
God Lowers prideful humanity
What is pride?
Unholy elevation
Thinking of oneself more highly that they are
arrogance
unwarranted confidence.
Thinking you’re higher than you are (I’m taller than you! Nope, you’re not...)
The irony in the LGBT clan using this term should not be lost on us.
God will lower the proud. “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble”
For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
They experienced a rejection for their deeds. They broke the covenant and they should be cut-off completely.
Their land is filled with silver and gold, and there is no end to their treasures; their land is filled with horses, and there is no end to their chariots. Their land is filled with idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made.
So man is humbled, and each one is brought low— do not forgive them!
The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
This is not limited to God’s covenant people!
Other nations will be brought Humbled!
Read Isaiah 2:12–17
For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low; against all the cedars of Lebanon, lofty and lifted up; and against all the oaks of Bashan; against all the lofty mountains, and against all the uplifted hills; against every high tower, and against every fortified wall; against all the ships of Tarshish, and against all the beautiful craft. And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
Pride will be cast down.
God Rises to terrify the Earth
God Rises to terrify the Earth
So great will the humiliation of the proud be, they will scamper for holes in the ground to try and get away from God’s righteous judgement!
Threefold chorus from this passage.
Enter into the rock and hide in the dust from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty.
And people shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.
In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the Lord, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth.
If we can’t say this, we need to get our faith straight. We need to be aligned with our God, not an idol.
This picture from Isaiah is reflected in Revelation:
The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?
So What?
So What?
God raises his mountain,
all the nations will serve God
God’s law/teaching will go everywhere.
God will bring peace
Pursue faithfulness - walk in the Light of the Lord
God lowers prideful man
Humanity has done many evil things - trusting in wealth, trusting in human power and accomplishment,
People aren’t being smitted by lighting bolts from heaven as soon as they do something evil, the Lord is kind and patient, and gives an opportunity to repent. But he sees, and those who will not submit willingly to Jesus will be humbled by force.
Every knee will bow, every idol will be vast away, but do it now!
God will terrify the earth
Who can Stand?
No one can stand on their own,
We can only come through Jesus Christ!