Lord of Hosts

Text:  Isaiah 2

Title:  Lord of Hosts

Sermon Theme:  The Lord of Hosts will bring all people to himself

Goal: to encourage the congregation to walk in the light of the LORD.

Need:  Times of war tend to make nations believe that all nations will look to them.

Sermon Outline:

1. Introduction:  Illustrate how war in Afganistan is not about Muslim vs. Christian
2. God’s temple is established
1. His word is taught
2. His peace covers the earth.
3. God does not establish eternal nations
1. Human sin
2. Human pride
4. God is the LORD Sabaoth.
1. Christ Jesus, it is he.
5. Conclusion:  Walk in the light of the LORD.  Never in the pride of a nation or the security of where we live. 

Sermon in Oral Style:

Congregation,

          Our nation is at war.  Anna is back after spend the better part of a year serving us and our country in war torn Afghanistan.  Our nation is fighting a war.

          We could look at this in many ways as a war of religions.  The people of Afghanistan are predominantly Muslim.  And those who are involved in suicide attacks in the Middle East often believe that because they have died while killing the infidels, they are guaranteed on of the highest rewards in eternal life.  Many people picture this as a war of religions.  Western Christianity’s side which is all about peace and justice and rights for all people, and the Middle Eastern Muslim side which stands for the values of the Islamic faith.

          Many look at the war this way.  But as Christians we should not!  As believers we should not believe that this is a war of religions.  As believers we should not believe that this is a war between God and Allah.  It might be a battle between different views of the world.  In any war, worldviews are at the heart of it.  One nations perspective is different from another.  One nation views rights differently from the other.  Those nations may end up going to war to establish whose worldview is going to prevail in a certain area.  In Afghanistan, is it going to be the notions of freedom of the Western world, or will it be the notions of terrorism of the Taliban?

          But war is not about Jesus or Muhammed.  Victory for Allied forces in Afganistan is not a victory under the banner of Jesus.  A pull out of troops is not a loss for Jesus Christ.  As we think about war, and about our military, and about the work and sacrifice they make, it doesn’t change the main thing that is true about our Jesus Christ.  He is the all powerful God.  In spite of what any nation is trying to do in the world, in spite of whatever worldview might be gaining strength in the world, Jesus Christ is the Almighty God that all the world will look to when the end is here.

          Jesus Christ is the Almighty God that all the world will look to in the end.  That message rings loud and clear throughout the scripture that we read today.

          The first way we hear that all nations will look to Jesus, the all powerful God, is in verses 1-5.  It is about the Mountain.  The Mountain.

          Verse 2.  “2In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.”  The dwelling place of God in the middle of Israel, Mount Zion.  This mountain will be raised up.  Metaphorically this is saying that God is going be the greatest over all the earth. 

          The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis are great books.  In the last book there is a scene that is supposed to be depicting the end of the world of Narnia.  It is the end times.  And everything begins rushing toward where Aslan has gone to reign.  As the children in the story are rushing towards Aslan they find themselves in a river.  And Lewis vividly describes how as they are caught up in the river, they are rushing so powerfully that they flow right up a waterfall. 

          I wonder if C.S. Lewis got that imagry from Isaiah.  The nations will stream to temple of God.  At the end time, when God has accomplished everything, people will rush to the dwelling place of God.  Isaiah pictures it like a stream up people flowing up the side of Mount Zion.  God’s pull on peoples hearts defies any natural laws.

          What is so powerful about Mount Zion at the end of time?  There are two things.  The LAW of God.  Metaphorically, people will stream up the side of the mountain to hear Christ teach us again  the right way to live our lives.  And the law will not be a burden.  In the end, times finally we will all realize how the law was never intended to be a burden.  It was meant to give us richness and fullness and purpose and direction in life.  That will be the pull.

          And all nations will be flowing up the mountain to have their lives overwhelmed, drenched, covered by the law of God. 

          And they will come to the mountain for the law, but also for peace.  Christ will be the judge over all the earth.  And every place that people have had difference of worldview, and every place they decided it was necessary to take the lives of those of a different worldview, Christ will settle the dispute.

          Verse 44He 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.”

          In the end, when Christ rules the world once and for all, we won’t need M-16’s, and F-16’s and all the tools for war, but will be tools of agriculture and peace.  Supersonic jets turned into supersonic harvesters.  Shock and awe turned into lots of bales of straw.  The picture is almost ridiculous, but our almight God, Jesus Christ will bring peace, that’s what people are streaming to the Mountain for.

          So the mountain of God will become the greatest in all the world.  God will reign on high.  This is great news for Israel, right?  After this part of the prophecy you might expect the Israelites to go dancing in the streets.  “our God is the strongest.  We are going to beat you.  The Mountain is part of our country.  Too bad for everyone else.”

          But God immediately puts them back in their place.  Christ may be reigning from the mountain, but he is quick to remind Israel that they have Messed up.  Israel has Messed up.

          Verse 6 accuses them, “6You have abandoned your people, the house of Jacob. They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and clasp hands with pagans. 7Their 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. 8Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. 9So man will be brought low and mankind humbled— do not forgive them.”

          That’s a wake up call.  Israel has messed up.  All of Mankind has messed up.  The way Israel has messed up is that when they were supposed to be passionate about living life by God’s purposes, Israel was living the way their sinful neighbors were living.  Making idols, being proud of their wealth, trusting in other things besides God alone for their strength.

          That should be telling for us.  Even though historically Canada has been the nation with Christian values, and even though Canada is much more Christian than the nations it is battling against, God is not impressed with historical details of who has been more Christian.  God is beyond that.  And he is working toward his goal, not the goals of any individual nation.

          But just to clarify, this passage isn’t really telling us specifically how we should veiw the war in Afganistan.  It isn’t telling us that success or failure of the mission going on there is telling us that we are sinful or good nation.  For us today it is a reminder that God’s plans are so far greater than us.  No matter what we stand for we must always kneel down in humilty before the plans of God, trusting that he is almighty and is working, not to give western Christians victory over other nations, but to save the souls of people around the world, that when he comes again it will be a rushing stream of people going be in the presence of God, his law, and his peace.

          So, we hear about the mountain of God.  We hear how mankind has messed up. The last thing we are reminded of again, is that God, is Almighty.  In spite of the short comings of all his people.  God, Jesus Christ is the commander of everything.

          I say commander of everything because that is what it says in the key verse of this passage.  Verse 12 is the most important verse in the passage.  It says, “12The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled).”  Those who have messed up and been proud of themselves in this world have had their day.  Christ is going to have his day.  The Lord Almighty will have his day.

          Have you ever heard of the phrase, Lord Sabaoth?  Many of us who know some of the traditional songs probably know this phrase.  We know it best from the song, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”  And if you are anything like I was, I figured it had something to do with being Lord of the Sabbath.

          But no.  That’s not what it means.  Martin Luther didn’t just spell sabbath wrong when he wrote the song.  He was refering to a Hebrew title for God.  Lord Sabaoth.  The New International Version that we read from translates Lord Sabaoth as Lord Almighty.  That tells us the broader meaning of the word.  But Lord Sabaoth means Lord of Hosts.  Or Lord of all massive armies.

          If you have given your heart to Christ, he is Lord of your life.  But he says he is way way way more than that.  He is Lord Sabaoth.  He is Commander of armies upon armies.  He will allow wars to bring about his purposes.  He can make armies lose if it fits with his global, international, eternal plan for people’s souls.  And he can and will bring about international peace in the end.  Because he is the Lord of Hosts.  The Lord Almighty.

          He has control over all forces we send.  That is why we pray so faithfully that God takes care of our troops, and that he brings peace in the world.  He is almighty.  He is commander of all forces in the world.  He can do it by his strength.  That is the power of Jesus Christ. 

          Since he is in control and will bring about peace and obedience to his law, we should do that as well.  Promote peace and justice in the world.  But most of all, show Christ that you trust in him alone as the all powerful commander of the world.  We must confess our pride, and walk humbly by his commands for us.  Then be ready to join that stream of humanity that will rush up to met Christ when he comes again to this world.

          This is God’s will from his word.  And all God’s people say, AMEN