Our God Reigns III

Isaiah 24:1–27:13

Well we’ve been looking at these chapters on the nations for the past month. Isaiah began by speaking very historically and particularly about the nations. We could easily go through each of these chapters in detail and understand the particular historical contexts for each nation that Isaiah spoke of from chapter 13 through 20.

But then we moved into a more poetic look at the nations in 21 through 23. The same nations were named again, but Isaiah began peeling back reality as we see it with our eyes and gave us a prophetic glimpse at the nation, we saw them as God sees them.

The purpose of those chapters is to survey the world, to look at the physical and spiritual condition of the nations and to ask us, Why would you be placing your hope in the things of this world? That’s been the question of the books, hasn’t it? Will you trust God or man?

Well the chapters for this morning conclude this look at the nations, but this time the veil is completely removed. We are no longer looking at individual nations and their physical and spiritual conditions. Rather we are looking at all the nations combined into one system. The world system. Many people have called these chapters “Isaiah’s apocalypse” because he’s sweeping over the world and explaining the end of a system like this.

Isaiah begins here to use a new term to describe the nations. He wraps them all up in the word “city.” The wicked city. This is a theme that runs from the first pages of your bible to the last. This contrast between the city of God and the city of man. If any of you are brave enough, Augustine of Hippo wrote a massive book on this very topic 1600 years ago.

Go back to the garden. A place created by God with everything we could ever need, the only problem is that it all reflected his glory. We didn’t like that. Years later Cain comes around and in Gen 4:17 builds a city. Of course we have the Tower of Babel after that. What is a city? Isn’t it the place where the glory of man is built? All of our power is seated there, commerce, entertainment, all of the filth. There is a theological element to what a city is. Now you can’t escape cities on this earth. The glory of man is established here.

But there is another city in scripture. And this city is different than all other cities because it is not centered around the glory of man but the glory of God. It’s sometimes called Zion. But we know it’s not merely the place Zion on the map, because the same corruption lives there. This is the city that will come down to meet earth in Revelation 21, where God will rule perfectly and for always. The writer of Hebrews tells us that we have come to that city is some way in the church. We taste heavenly Zion.

And so believer, you now live in two worlds. Two cities. And each one pulls at you. But you cannot live and love each city. READ Isaiah 24:1-20.

This is the end of the city of man. The LORD empties it and makes it desolate. Jesus was preaching about this wicked city that will someday lie in ruins when he told us not to lay up treasures on this earth.

Isaiah speaks in cosmic terms in these chapters. In fact the first verse here throws us all the way back to Gen 1:2. There Moses speaks about the world being formless and void. Completely and utterly desolate. Isaiah uses the same words to describe what’s coming for this world.

Does that cause you to stop and think about what you’re doing here? Unless your actions are in service to the eternal God, all that you do is meaningless in the grand scheme of the universe. This should buckle the knees of kings and peasants alike, shouldn’t? Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. Go invent the cure for cancer. Meaningless in the grand scheme if all it does is to serve the glory of man in the wicked city.

Believer do you see the beauty of being a citizen of the city of God? In the city of man, the most impressive task is worthless, in the city of God, the smallest action for God’s glory is infinitely worthy. I used to think this as I bagged groceries. We are called to do all things to the glory of God. I can bag groceries in a way that will serve my God and be considered valuable forever.

It’s much different clocking into work in the city of God than in the city of Man isn’t it?

See how Isaiah is paring down the question of trust and worth and value? Are you tempted to trust gold? Worthless. Are you trusting Christ? Valuable beyond description!

See 24:23? When all is said and done, what is left? The Lord of hosts reigning in glory in the city of God.

Now chapter 25 is all about the feast the Lord is going to serve. The Lord’s Supper points us forward to that day. Jesus said at the Last Supper that he won’t taste this again until he has it with us in the kingdom. Here’s what he speaks of.

Why are we invited to feast in the Lord’s house? Because verse 7, he swallowed up death. Doesn’t Hebrews tell us that the fear of death is thing that rules over all of us in this life? He tells us that Jesus became like us to free us from this fear of death by swallowing it up in victory over the grave.

But see this is true now. This is part of what is so exciting of living in between the first and second coming of Christ. Death still happens, doesn’t it? But it doesn’t have any sting, because it’s been swallowed up by Christ’s victorious resurrection.

So what does this mean for us? Well it means that you are tasked with the heart racing, adrenaline pumping quest to serve the living God who has defeated the grave, knowing that some day you’re going to look death in the face as well and be resurrected too.

In chapter 26 Isaiah gives us a song that will be sung in that day. Notice he keeps using the phrase in that day. He’s pointing us back to chapter 24, and looking at it from all different angles. Each angle look finds us another reason to glorify our God.

Chapter 26 reads a lot like proverbs, I think. And the chapter looks back at 24 the picture of God destroying the wicked city, and praises him for his mercy.

The reality of life as pilgrims in the city of man, like Abraham looking for the better country, is that we are often drawn in by the things of this world. Are we not? How many times this week have you trusted your idols? Isaiah pictures Judah like a pregnant women.

Think about pregnancy for a moment. Its tough, at least it looks tough from the outside. Pain, suffering, and it all culminates in the worst pain. But it brings overwhelming joy, it’s worth it. So far I haven’t heard my wife say that the pains of pregnancy weren’t worth it.

He pictures Judah choosing to feel all the pregnancy pains, with no baby. The picture is meant to show what false trusts look like. You choose the suffering of meaninglessness in this life, and in the end, destruction. Was that worth it?

Oh but God is so merciful to us. We choose misery over him, and yet, he redeems us, restores us. (19) resurrects us! In fact (12) does the work in us and through us (Eph 2:10). Our work isn’t meaningless, the merciful God gives us to himself in service.

Finally, 27. He speaks of the wicked city as Leviathan, a great serpent, and he lops it’s head off. Just as was promised in the garden, just as David did with Goliath clothed in Snake scales, just as Jesus did when he crushed Satan’s head at the cross.

And what do we get? This is hard to even fathom.

Remember in chapter 5 where Isaiah sang a song about the vineyard? They only grew rancid grapes and so God was going to burn the field? He sings of the vineyard again, but this time there aren’t any thorns or thistles.

But he goes further than that. I want you to hear this, because this is the heart of God. We’ve been accused before of holding to a worm theology. That is we talk about human depravity (as the bible does) as if we were worthless worms.

Now the bible does sometimes talk about that way, but not to make you feel bad, but to show the surpassing worth of knowing Christ our savior. See God doesn’t need you to be described as a worm so that he looks better. Just look at this.

(4-5) I have goatheads all over the place in my back yard. I fight them, but they come back. I cannot fathom talking to those awful thorns and saying to them, “let’s be friends and you can have all the water and good soil you’ve ever needed in the raised bed boxes.”

Friends, this is how Christ speaks to us. Oh thorns and briars, lay hold of my protection and make peace with me.

I’m a thorn, I’m a briar, but i’m a citizen of the city of God not because of my work, but because Christ made peace by the blood of his cross. Won’t you come to his vineyard and be grafted in and live?