Isaiah 59:1-60:22
Who is Rambo? This is Rambo.
He’s a one-man army, a trained killing machine. In the last film, Rambo goes into Myanmar to rescue some Christian missionaries and help the Karen people. He takes down a whole army of baddies with a bow and arrow, a knife, and the enemy’s weapons.
And he’s a wimp compared to Jesus.
In today’s passage we see a description of ourselves and the world we live in. We are in a world that’s at war. At war with itself and at war with God.
And God has a rescue plan. He himself will come to rescue his people. God the warrior.
And if we are rescued by him, he, the warrior God, comes to live in us, to empower us to wage war against sin, against the darkness in us and in the world.
1. A terrible picture of humanity: lost, alone, corrupt – in darkness
9 So there is no justice among us, and we know nothing about right living. We look for light but find only darkness. We look for bright skies but walk in gloom. 10 We grope like the blind along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark. Among the living, we are like the dead.
Isn’t this how life sometimes feels? Stumbling in the dark? Isn’t that why many of struggle with depression? We know the darkness within. We are crushed by the darkness in the world.
Why are we in darkness? What is the problem?
Well, the fundamental problem, the problem behind everything, is sin. Sin is what makes murderers murder, liars lie, and robbers rob. Sin is behind our drunkenness, adultery, unfaithfulness. Sin is why our relationships fall apart. Sin is why we abort babies. Sin is why we feel so lost and alone – because we are.
2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.
We are cut off from God. Oh, why do we suffer, why is the world like it is? God is too weak? God can’t? God’s limited?
Nonsense. He spoke the world into being! With a word. And when Jesus walked the earth, do you ever get the impression that he couldn’t do something? There was such power in him.
59:1 Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. 2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.
There is a massive chasm, a hole, between us and God. We are cut off. We are in darkness. We are people filled with darkness who live in a world filled with darkness.
Because we are sinners – cut off from God – we sin, that is do evil things. Sinners sin. Verses 3-9 are pretty harsh, aren’t they? Do you know they apply to us? That amongst us in this little group are murderers, liars, violent and corrupt people. “Misery and destruction follow them” could very well describe us – without Christ. Even with Christ sometimes as we choose to disobey him and follow our own way.
3 Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Well, murderers doesn’t apply to us, does it? Really? We’re messed up people, all of us. I’ve had guys in my Bible study, in my house, who are murderers. And I call them brothers. Would you be shocked if I said in this church there are murderers? Would you start to look around?
Should we be shocked? Do we think the church is only for good people? The church is a place for sinners. Before the cross, none of us are worthy.
Jesus said in Matt 5:21-22 “You have heard … ‘Do not murder, for you will be judged’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be judged…anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Murder is a heart issue. We all have murderous hearts. Some of us have just had what was already in our hearts exposed. Do not judge, brothers and sisters. We are all here by God’s grace, not our own efforts. V1-15 applies to us all.
After all, look how v3 continues Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption. 4 No one cares about being fair and honest. The people’s lawsuits are based on lies. They conceive evil deeds and then give birth to sin.
You may not have thought you’re a murderer, but now after Jesus’ words you’re feeling a bit uncomfortable – but you are liar. And so am I. We lie so easily, so quickly, we don’t even notice. “Little white lies”. And if we lie in the everyday, we’ll probably lie under pressure in the courts as well.
I remember going to the court as a witness in the Kahindo’s case – and I was utterly shocked at the corruption in the court. Here in Norway! The court wasn’t interested in the truth. They didn’t even call us as witnesses. All they wanted to do was protect themselves. They’d already decided they were guilty. The court was just there to say “yes they are guilty”. It was shocking. V14 Our courts oppose the righteous and justice is nowhere to be found.
We live in darkness. And darkness is within us. We lie. We murder people in our hearts. “You bitch!” we say. We get drunk. We say horrible things to people to wound them because they deserve it. We hurt those we love – often just by being selfish. We just neglect them. Our relationships fall apart. We wake up next to another woman and think oh, not again. We ignore our kids. We use all our money on ourselves before someone else can get to it. We fight with the neighbour. Whatever it is. We are all sinners. And we have all experienced the results of sin.
Paul quotes these verses, particularly v7-8, in Romans 3:10-20, where he describes humanity. There is no-one righteous, no, not one. No-one who seeks God.
We stumble in darkness. And we all try to cope in some way. Some flee to alcohol or drugs. Some run to sex. Some run to money. Some to power. Some just don’t think. Ignorance is bliss. But soon the darkness will overwhelm us.
It is a terrible picture of humanity: we are lost, alone, corrupt – in darkness. BUT!
2. God the warrior comes to rescue us himself
16 He [the LORD] was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him. 17 He put on righteousness as his body armour and placed the helmet of salvation on his head. He clothed himself with a robe of vengeance and wrapped himself in a cloak of divine passion.
Armed and ready, he is coming. It’s the preparation scene in Rambo, when he arms himself to the teeth, knife in the sheath, bow over his shoulder, explosive tipped arrows, pistol, maybe a machine gun or two, and a scowl which says “I mean business”. This is what God is doing here.
18 He will repay his enemies for their evil deeds. His fury will fall on his foes. He will pay them back even to the ends of the earth. 19 In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.
It is not a good thing to be the enemy of God, is it? It’s like being an extra in a Rambo movie – urgh – that’s your part of the movie over. Standing against God is standing against an unstoppable force.
Actually, if this was a movie, it would be rather boring. Because there would be no tension – can he do it? When God the warrior is on the move, there is no moment when he is beaten and bloodied and must find the strength in himself and keep on fighting. When God moves, he moves with a terrifying swiftness. His enemies have no chance. If we are his enemies it’s like guys throwing rocks against a tank. A tank with lasers and force fields. A tank that’s 50 meters high and 50 metres wide. It’s a joke to stand against God. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.
I remember once body boarding in the sea. The waves were quite big and it was great fun catching wave and riding it in to the beach. And then one wave caught me. I tried to get over it but it crested and the wave slammed down on to me. The force broke the board underneath me. I went one way, the two pieces of the board another. And I was in the washing machine as they call it – swirled around and around and around. I didn’t know which way was up. I was running out of breath. I was still spinning. The POWER of the wave was unbelievable. There was nothing I could do. It felt like I was going to die. Obviously, I didn’t. My feet suddenly, gloriously, touched the ground – and I pushed with all my strength, and shot out of the water, taking a great gulp of air.
That is the awesome power of God in judgement. But thousands of times more powerful. And with no hope of escape.
Why stand against him?
Because if you cry out to him – if you repent, that is turn away from yourself, your sinful lifestyle – if you cry out to him for help – that awesome power is on display not to judge you and crush you, but to rescue you. When we cry out to him, our feet suddenly hit the bottom in this tumbled-around crazy life we lead. And a powerful arm reaches down and pulls us out and we are embraced by strong powerful arms. We are safe.
20 “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins,” says the Lord.
The redeemer. The word redeem means to buy back. It means to pay the price. So God himself will pay the price to buy back those who have turned from their sins.
How?
Well, if we’ve been paying attention, through the suffering servant we’ve read about in chapters 42, 49, 50 and 53! Here is the great King who will give his life. By his stripes we are healed. By his death we are given life. Isaiah did not know who this servant was. The people of Israel did not know how God would pay the price to buy them back. They knew very well that the price of sin was death. They had the Law of Moses. To break the law meant punishment, exclusion, and in many cases, death. And every day there were animals being sacrificed at the Temple for sins. The constant flow of blood was a real reminder of the price of sin. The price of sin is death.
But how was God going to pay for their sins?
Those animal sacrifices were pointing on to a greater sacrifice: the servant. And we know who that servant is. Because he met the description that Isaiah and many other prophets gave. It was Jesus. Jesus who fulfilled all the prophecies about him. Jesus who was mighty. Jesus who simply walked through crowds that wanted to kill him – they couldn’t touch him. Jesus who commanded the wind and the waves to be still – and they listened. Jesus who called a dead man – dead three days – back to life again.
Serious power. And he used that power… to die. What? Because this was a rescue mission like no other. This was not Rambo flying in grabbing everyone, then flying out shooting at all the baddies. This is Rambo coming in and taking the prisoner’s place. This is Rambo staying behind while the rest of the prisoners go free.
Jesus takes our place. Jesus says you deserve death. That is right. Someone must pay for your sins (and my sins).
If you pay for your sins, says Jesus, you will be cut off forever, forever dead. Instead, I will take your place. Because only I can face death and defeat it. Only I can come through the other side.
Jesus is victorious because he exposed himself to death – come get me! – and then beat it. Because on the third day the tomb filled with light and Jesus rose from the dead. Death could not hold him because he was innocent, one without sin. He rose from the dead and destroyed the power of death over all those who belong to him.
If you belong to Jesus, then know that Jesus went to war for you with everything he had. He was unstoppable. Luke says Jesus headed towards Jerusalem – towards his death – with a face like stone. He was unstoppable. His rescue mission could not be stopped, and was not stopped.
Do you think your sin could stop him? Sin is no problem to God. We are all sinners. Every one of us has fallen short. If sin was a problem, there would be no gospel, no Bible! Read the Bible – every one of the “heroes” of the Bible is a sinner. King David, the greatest King, was a murderer and an adulterer. Yet God’s grace is enough. He is strong enough.
Now I want you to do something.
Picture your sin. Picture that deepest, darkest secret you keep hidden. Picture that sin which you keep beating yourself up about. The one you can’t beat. The one you think is too terrible for God to forgive. Picture it now as a huge castle. A fortress.
And then see God the warrior. See Christ on the cross, all the power of the Universe at his fingertips – and see him go through death – for you. Hear his cry “It is finished” and that cry echoing, echoing, louder and stronger until it hits your castle of sin. And the walls start cracking, and they crumble down. Dear brothers and sister, our sins are dealt with at the cross. There is nothing we still need to pay for. There is nothing left. Like a raging flood he has washed us clean. All evil and sin has been swept out, dealt with.
And we have new heart – we’re under new management. The old stench of sin has gone, and the Spirit of God has come to live in us.
3. The warrior God now lives in us
21 “And this is my covenant (a covenant is a special, unbreakable promise) with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!
If we belong to Christ, then his Spirit is with us. His words guarantee it. Look at the end of v21 “I, the LORD, have spoken.”
And if his Spirit is with us, then we will start to live a different way. For the first time in our lives, it is possible for us not to sin. We don’t have to wander around in darkness anymore.
60:1 “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the Lord rises to shine on you. 2 Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. 3 All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.
In Christ we are the new Jerusalem, the new Israel. And our light is to shine for all to see. Here in Notodden our light needs to shine in the darkness. We all see darkness around us. We know so many who need the light of Christ. Brothers, let’s obey him so that those around us see the light of Christ in us.
It’s so easy to be lazy, to give up. So often we listen to ourselves instead of talk to ourselves. We listen to ourselves telling us “you can’t do this. It’s too hard to obey. You’re worthless. You don’t deserve forgiveness.
No we don’t deserve it. That’s why it’s by grace. And yes it is too hard to obey. That’s why we have the Holy Spirit.
So talk to yourself. Tell yourself that you are a beloved child of God. Even when you sin. Tell yourself that your sins have been blasted away. Jesus fought and won. Tell yourself that you have his warrior Spirit to fight against sin and win. If you don’t believe me, go and read Ephesians 6 (note it down for later) where WE are called to put on the same armour that God puts on here: the helmet of salvation and the body armour of God’s righteousness. Suit up!
And fight your sin – in his strength.
Oh, there is so much more that can be said. This passage is full of joy and hope. The security in knowing that God will bring us home. We will be with him. This is not a rescue mission where the rescue helicopter gets shot down halfway. God protects us all the way home until we see him face to face.
And the glory of all the nations - everything amazing and fantastic in this world - will be in the new Creation, the Heavenly Jerusalem. And there we will be face to face with our God.
And our sin that fills our mind here and makes us despondent and depressed – will be gone. Our days of mourning will come to an end. V21 says all of us will be righteous. Because he has done it, and at the right time, he will bring us home. I, the Lord, will make it happen.
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