Easter Sunday 2016: An Indestructible life

MP3 link…

Luke 23:33-24:12

A friend of mine asked me this week how I could believe in God. He said it is absurd. He challenged me: how can God allow all these terrible things that are happening in the world? Why, if he is so loving, does he allow all the evil?

It’s a good question. But he didn’t like the answer I gave him. Because I didn’t sugar-coat the truth! I said this world is under judgment. I said we are at war with God.

He pushed back and said but you believe God could stop it all?
Yes, but that would be judgement day.
Then all this, this is just a play, a wild and meaningless game for God. We all just go through the motions so that God can have his glory? I can’t believe in a God like that.

Well, you know what, it doesn’t matter what we believe about God. It doesn’t change whether God exists or not. Whether I think God is a raving lunatic or the best thing ever doesn’t change who he is because God is not a figment of my imagination or yours. He is not a creation of the church. He is not ours to edit into a more suitable picture of who God is – or who we would like him to be.

What we know about God is only what he has revealed to us. We don’t know what God hasn’t told us. He does not tell us why he allows the amount of suffering he allows. He doesn’t not tell us why he doesn’t allow much more evil and suffering. He limits the evil we do. Why? We are not told. Perhaps we cannot understand? Perhaps only when we are renewed, with a new body and a new mind can we understand the weight of the truth. Perhaps now our minds would explode! Who knows?

But we do know what God HAS revealed. What he has told us. We know what God WILL do. We know that he has set a day, judgement day, when all suffering and evil will come to an end. And we know what he HAS done. And this is the heart of the matter, and the real answer to the question my friend had “How can you say that God is loving when faced with all the suffering?”

And the answer – the huge, amazing, loud answer echoing throughout history is: the cross. The cross of Christ is God’s answer. It is at the cross we see the heart of God. It is at the cross that we see that he is not at a distance playing with us, uncaring, unfeeling. At the cross he enters our world, in poverty, in being hungry, thirsty. He experiences injustice and betrayal. Everything we’ve been through he has known. He even knows what it is to sin, not because he sinned but because he took our sin, my sin, your sin, upon himself.

It is the cross which speaks loudest about who God is. And it is the cross we celebrate today.

Because what hope is there otherwise. This is a cruel and evil world. It is terrifying, it is war, it is bloodshed. It is bombs and terrorism and evil. It is broken promises and broken homes. Even in our own homes there is violence, there is shouting, there is cheating, betrayal, hurt. Some of us are parents and making massive mistakes. Some of us know we’re not doing enough but we don’t know what to do? We can’t change ourselves to find a way out.

The Cross of Christ offers hope. For there Jesus took all our failings upon himself.

Haven’t you ever wished that you could start again? Haven’t you ever wished that you could simply hand over your life to someone else to fix.

Well, the cross says you can. Why? Because on the cross Jesus swapped places with us. He took our life, so that we can get his.

He deals with our failings and gives us his righteousness. And that righteousness, that goodness starts to work its way through our lives. We are changed from the inside out.

It’s like an old, run-down dive of a restaurant. Then one day you see the sign “new owners - under new management”. Hm. And you start to hear rumours that the food is really good. And then you see the windows are cleaned, and the floor is gleaming and the tables shining. Wow. And then there’s a fresh coat of paint on the outside. And before long the restaurant is completely different. The new owners have taken over and set about transforming the place.

That’s what coming to Christ is like. A complete transformation. That is what is on offer this Easter.

1. Jesus can save anyone, even you

39 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

All of us know a time when we’ve messed things up. Some things big, some things small. But you know you’ve really messed things up when you’re such a terrible criminal that you’ve been sentenced to death by crucifixion – through hanging on a cross. This was for murderers, terrorists, that kind of person. Think Breivik. Or the guys behind the bombings in Brussels. Those type of people. Down the totally wrong path.

And that’s the type of man who turns to Jesus and asks for mercy “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom”.

What would you say if you were Jesus? “No, you don’t deserve forgiveness!” Any other religion would give the answer “but you have not done enough good things, and you cannot do any before you die. There is no hope for you”. Humanism would say “It’s too late, you have made your choice. You have a mental disorder or something.”

But Jesus? Jesus says this “Today, you will be with me in paradise”.

Amazing words. Ridiculous words. Words which my friend reacted to: “So I will go to hell but you won’t? Just because I don’t believe in Jesus?”

Yes. Because all of us deserve Hell. But Hell isn’t fire and pitchforks and hehehe. Hell is simply the absence of God. We get what we want. We reject God. All of us are hell-bound, and without Christ that is where we will all end up. Because we want to be there. We want there to be no God. That’s the amazing thing which God does. He comes down to his enemies, and dies in order to save them. That’s not fair. It’s not fair that good people go to Hell along with bad people – but it definitely not fair that bad people go to Heaven. No it’s not fair. The gospel is spectacularly unfair. The innocent dies for the guilty. And the guilty go free.

That – is love.

Not namby-pamby ooo, I looove you, sentiment. But love. Brutal, heart-wrenching, go through fire and mud – that kind of love. Hard as steel. It is love which looks people like us in the eye, people who have rejected God, people who have messed things up, people who are not good like God, perfect, holy… compared to Him we are all like the criminal on the cross next to Him.. that love looks us in the eye and says “today, you will be with me in paradise”.

All you’ve got to do is ask.

Because we’re all a bit thick – really, could God really forgive me. No, I’ll have to sort myself out a bit, do a few good things, put on my best suit, wash my face – stupid stuff like that. Because we are a bit thinck and think that God can’t really mean forgiveness forgiveness, forgiveness for everything – Luke, the writer, tells us two more times that yes, this is really true.

33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”

Forgive the guys who used me as a punching bag, spat at me, mocked me whipped me, stripped me naked, and then hammered nails into my hands and feet causing me agonising pain – those guys, Father, forgive them.

And if we haven’t got the point yet from Luke points out that the most unlikely person responded: the Roman Centurion. The man in charge of the crucifixion!
47 When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man was innocent.”

Jesus can save anyone. Even you.

2. Jesus died, really died, so that you can live

44 By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 45 The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. 46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.

It went dark, a symbol of judgement, as Jesus hung on the cross. He is being judged for our sins. He’s taking our place. Then Jesus shouts his innocence – Father... – because he is not a sinner and he will be vindicated. And then he dies. Death came because of sin. And so Jesus, carrying our sin, dies.

The soldiers think job done. The Roman officer is amazed and wants to know more “Who is this Jesus”. The crowds were sad. And Joseph comes and asks for his body. We know from the other gospels that when the soldiers checked to see if Jesus really had died, they also stabbed him in the side. Yes, this dude’s dead.

His friends, his disciples, women and men - they saw Jesus die. All went away sad. There was no cunning plan, no oh, don’t worry it’s actually Judas with a changed face on the cross. (We know it wasn’t Judas because we know how Judas died - He tried to return the money after Jesus’ death on the cross – pretty difficult if HE was the one on the cross. And then hanged himself.)
There was no big conspiracy. Everyone was depressed. The baddies won. The goodies lost.

53 Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock.

I think the most damning evidence is this in verse 1 of chapter 24 24:1 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared – they went to the grave with burial spices. Not with party packs to welcome him back – hurray you’re alive! Not even with medical stuff – bandages etc. No: burial spices. Spices for dead people. Nobody thought Jesus was alive. He was dead. Dead, dead, dead. They’d seen it happen with their own eyes, heard his cry of agony, carried his dead body to the tomb. Dead.

And that is a very, very GOOD thing. It is the reason we call Good Friday Good Friday! Because if Jesus did not die, then our sins are not paid for, and there is no way back to God. We are at war with him, we have rejected him, and we are hellbound. An eternal existence without God.

But because Jesus DID die. Well, our sins are dealt with, and the way to God is open. Jesus is the way. Because he died, we can live forever, eternal life – which is life with God.

Jesus died, really died, so that you can live.

3. Jesus rose, really rose from the dead, so that you can live.

5b Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? 6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Ah, now we get to the part that many of us struggle with. Rising from the dead? Really? But this the heart of the matter. Everything hinges on this. Because if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then everything else is lost. His death is meaningless, just another death. Christianity is a cruel joke if he did not rise.

So of course. Much nonsense spoken about this. I read recently that that we can’t really know. That we just have to have faith. The humanists love to prance around shouting about how rational they are, and how irrational Religion is. Well most religion is. But the resurrection of Jesus is not irrational. It is rational. It is based on evidence, not faith. There is a reason why many of the top scientists – rational people - in the world even today, are Christians. Science itself was birthed out of Christian thinking, out of the Christian worldview. People who say the resurrection is irrational know nothing about rationality or about history.

Because we have the eyewitness accounts. We know that their lives were changed by this. We know that within about 10 years this new religion, based on the resurrection of Jesus, spread across the whole known world, coming to the attention of the Roman Emperor. This brand new religion had huge growth – but it had an enormous weak spot. The message they went out with was that Jesus had risen from the dead. It’s a stupid, hard-to-believe message now. It was a stupid, hard-to-believe message then. People weren’t dumber then. In fact, with all the nonsense posted on the Internet, I think we’re dumber now!
But, back then, they would have checked out the story. Spoken to people. Looked for the body. Just like today, people reacted to this ridiculous claim, and set about to prove it wrong. And nobody could, and many, like, many today, looked at the evidence and had to say “I believe”. The evidence was so strong that they continued to believe it even as they were arrested, beaten tortured, and killed. The reaction to Christianity was very harsh – yet people still flocked to the new faith in numbers.

Now, you don’t have to believe in the resurrection – but then you’ve got to come up with another explanation as to why thousands of people who could easily disprove the resurrection rather died than give up their faith in Jesus.

The most rational explanation is the one the eyewitnesses give us: Jesus rose from the dead.

And if he rose from the dead, then you and I can live forever.

Jesus can save anyone – even you.

Jesus really died – so that you can have life.

And Jesus really rose again so that you can live forever.

So, what does that mean for me?

First there is hope. Evil and suffering is not the end. It will not be victorious. Death does not have the last laugh. Jesus has beaten death. Life has overcome – and is offered to you.

Second. No matter what you’ve done there is forgiveness. No matter how bad you are, or have been, or even will be – his grace is bigger, his blood has paid the cost, his love can cover you. You are forgiven.

Third. You have to deal with Jesus. You have to humble yourself, and ask for forgiveness. Ask to come under new management. There were two criminals on either side of Jesus. One went on to eternal death. The other two eternal life.

Which one are you?

Life! The New Creation

Revelation 20:7-21:8

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Two weeks ago I was in the car on the way home from Kongsberg – and I was sitting in a long traffic jam – an hour and a half. Now that was an everyday thing in Cape Town, even in Oslo - but in Notodden?
That traffic jam meant something. It meant that something had gone very wrong. And as I finally reached Notodden I saw the reason why: a truck with a damaged front on the left side of the road… and on the right - a car smashed up really badly, front end collapsed. The car had drifted over into the wrong lane and collided head-on with a truck. The driver of the car was killed.

Death sucks. Whether it’s sudden like a car accident, or “expected” after a long life - death is always brutal. And we feel it. It’s a strange thing really. Death is a natural part of things. It’s the circle of life, and all that. But we hate it, we rebel against it.

Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, wrote these words:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Is that all there is? Is that what is left to us? To simply shake our fist at death, at hopelessness, to rage against the dying of our light until we snuffed out like a candle burned down to the end?

Actually, yes. That is all there is. Without Christ.

Death is just one of the reminders that something is wrong with the universe that we live in. We rebel against something so natural because for us it feels anything but natural. We fight it with anti-aging products and Artificial Intelligence and Freezing our bodies and anything we can to desperately push back against death. We rage against the dying of the night because we feel – no we KNOW that night should not fall.

And we are right. We were created to life forever. We are eternal creatures, all of us. We have the spark of the divine, you and me, every human being who was ever conceived in their mother’s womb (or in a test tube) – we are eternal creatures.

But we are in a war. We are at war.

1. We are at war

Rev 20:7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city.

The picture here is of a battle. Satan released in order to gather the nations – all the peoples of the world, in a war against God and his people. And this picture of war is one that is used throughout the Bible.

See, we like to think of God as an old kindly man in the sky, long beard, slightly senile – just sort of smiling down on us and going tut tut when bad things happen. Maybe wringing his hands and saying oh dear.

But the Bible’s picture of God – the way God has revealed himself – is something entirely different. He is a warrior, a fighter. He is not smiling kindly down on us, because we are at war with him. He’s more Rambo than Old Man. Armed to the teeth rather than losing his teeth!

We are at war with God. Now rightly enough it was we who declared war on him. We want to decide for ourselves how our life will go. We want to decide what is right and what is wrong. We want to be God in our own lives. In effect, we want him to be dead. Nietzsche even said, defiantly, that God is dead. It appears, however, that Nietzsche is dead. And God is still very much alive.

But that is the cry of the human heart. No God. We are at war.

What is it like to live in a war zone? We’ve heard the stories from the Ukraine, from Syria. I remember my friend 20 years ago telling me stories from Sarajevo as the former Yugoslavia broke up in war.

Life takes on a different flavour. You become kind of numb to the destruction around you. You go to sleep and are surprised when you wake up. You walk outside and see that where your neighbour’s house stood – now there’s just a big hole. The house blown apart by artillery fire. You walk to the shops, hoping that today there’ll be some food there – that someone will have got through the blockade with supplies. Life is a struggle, death around every corner. You barely flinch anymore when you hear the bzzt – thunk of bullets whizzing overhead. You scrounge for food, for water, anything to keep you alive. When you hear the boom-boom of the artillery guns you run for cover, and hunker down, just trying to survive.

And that, for a while, becomes normal life. That’s the way things are. You know there’s a different way to live, but it was so long ago when you lived in freedom, in gladness.

That is what we are like. The entire human race. We live in a spiritual war zone. Some of us have given up and say this is the way things are. Some of us have a sense of that which could be. That which we were made for. We have a longing in our heart for a world that we have never seen. A world without death, without sin, without evil. A world where we belong.

We long for a world at peace with God. But how?

Well, what do you do if you’re in a war you can’t win?
You surrender. You raise the white flag, send your envoys (messengers, diplomat), and ask for mercy.

The problem is, we don’t want to. We are the ones who started the war. And we still think we can win it!

But just look at v9. It’s one of my favourite verses. Because the build-up is for some epic Lord of the Rings style battle. V8 the mighty army from every nation numberless. You can see them roaring their victory cry, banging their weapons against their shields “here we come God, we’re coming for you!”. And then… nothing. No epic battle. No charge of glory. No once more into the breach men. This seemingly great and powerful army is not at all a threat to God. Our rebellion is nothing, a mere inconvenience, an annoyance. V9 But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. And then everyone was thrown into the lake of fire. Like you brush a bug off your shoulders.

We cannot win this war. Our rebellion is a joke. But because we’re locked into sin – that is wanting to be God – we cannot surrender, we will not surrender. But we cannot win. We’re fighting an unwinnable battle. Things will just get worse and worse. So what do we do? Well, because WE wouldn’t send an envoy of peace, God, in his mercy, sent HIS envoy of peace.

Dear friends, this is why the gospel means good news. Momentous, huge, good news.

2. God’s has sent an envoy of peace

21:5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

The one on the throne, God, says that he is making all things new. He says it is finished! He says whoever is thirsty can receive freely the water of life, and then that anyone victorious – those who overcome will inherit the blessing – the blessing of being with him. Not at war, but as children, part of the family. Closer you cannot get.

This is what Jesus did. These are his words, his actions. He was the envoy of peace from God to us: his own Son. We heard John 3:16 last week, those famous words that God loved the world so much he sent his only son… not to judge the world, but to save it.
Every Christmas we read the story of Jesus’ birth (Juleevangeliet). What do the angels announce to the shepherds in the fields: Glory to God in the Highest and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased. (Luke 2:14) Jesus’ birth announces peace, announces a way out of war, a way to be made right with God, a way to regain the reality that we lost when we went to war with God.

It is finished because the cost of making peace has been paid, not by us, but by God himself. Peace costs. Peace comes at a price. War crimes need to be judged. Restitution needs to be paid. Someone needs to answer for the evil that was done.
Those words “It is finished” are the words Jesus cried out on the cross, as Jesus gave his own life so that he could bring peace. He paid the crimes of war – our war, in order to bring the war to an end. It is like the captain falling on a grenade to save his men. Or more like the enemy soldier rushing forward and falling on the grenade to save his enemies. Who would do this? Only God. Only God has love even for his enemies. He paid the cost.

A few weeks ago we read the story of the siege of Jerusalem in Isaiah 36. The great and powerful Assyrian army surrounded Jerusalem. But they didn’t attack. No. They sent envoys – representatives, diplomats – to see if they could negotiate a surrender without a fight. “Surrender now, and we’ll look after you. No one can save you. Don’t fight. Don’t throw away your lives on a lost cause, a battle you cannot win.”

Jesus is God’s envoy, and it is his message today: don’t throw away your lives on a lost cause, on a battle you cannot win. Surrender to me. Seek peace. I will look after you.

And unlike human beings, when God makes a promise to look after us if we surrender to him, he means it. He really does look after his people. There is not hidden agenda, no trick, no bait and switch, no small print.

God has sent an envoy of peace, Jesus, to us, his enemies. And to those who accept, those who surrender their lives to him, he promises a new life, a new hope, yes, a new creation. Look, I am making everything new He says in verse 5. And he’s not joking.

3. The New Creation

21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”

This is a picture of eternal life. Not sitting around on clouds strumming harps – good grief that sounds deathly boring. But it is a fantastic place to live. A city buzzing with life, with vitality. It is life at its best! And God will be there, amongst us. We will see our saviour’s face – face-to-face. No more sin, no more suffering. No car accidents. No dementia or cancer or war or theft or terrorism or worries about life. No tears or crying or pain. All gone forever. Everything is renewed.

It is this world, this universe, rebooted, restarted, restored, redeemed. This was just the cover and the title page. The new creation is Chapter One of the Great Neverending story, where every chapter is better than the last.
This is the shadowlands – that is the real country. The Real Country our heart longs for. The real country we were made for.

Revelation continues like this, describing the heavenly city of the new creation 21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. 22 I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. 24 The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. 26 And all the nations will bring their glory and honour into the city.

It is life with God, in his presence, in his holiness, without fear, for we have been made holy. This is a gift, what Christ has done. There is no-one in heaven who will say “this is what I have done” or “I did it my way”. No. This is what God has done. All glory to Him.

He is the Light, the sun and the moon. And the best of this world will be in the new creation. All the good things that are and have ever been and will ever be in this world – the best things of this world: they will be there - but better. Perfect. From every nation, every tribe, every people group and culture – the best of us will be there and it will all be giving glory to God.

And as we look around us we will see – ah, that which we loved so dearly here on earth we loved because it was a shadow, a picture, a reflection of the real thing here in the New Creation.

This is the hope of Christianity. A preacher called Mark Driscoll put it like this “For non-Christians this life is the best it will ever be. For those saved by Christ’s mercy, this life is the worst it will ever be.”

There is a great secure hope. The world we were made for. Jesus has come to bring this message: THE WAR HAS ENDED! Amnesty for all. Freedom for all.

Let me end by using a picture of the gospel. Here we are – people. And we have declared war on God. That is sin. We have turned our back on God. We have made a huge distance between us and God – so big that we cannot cross, even if we wanted to.
Here is God – the new creation. This is what we were made for, what our heart longs for. When we catch a glimpse of the shadow of heaven, of God, our hearts long for it. This is what we were made for. And he is a God of mercy, so instead of just blotting us out like we deserve – he sends his envoy, his messenger, his own Son, Jesus, to bridge the gap.

Now, where are you on this picture?

You may be here saying. Yes, I am a sinner. I’ve made a mess of things. I surrender.
You might be thinking “But I’m a good person” And you might be. Maybe that’s why you’re here this morning. There was a good man called Cornelius and the Bible says “his good deeds have come up before God” – so God sent Peter to him to share the gospel. Your good deeds might be the reason you are here this morning. God has had mercy on you by bringing you here so that you can hear the gospel and respond to it. Your good deeds are not enough. You alone cannot make peace with God.

Or maybe you have surrendered your life to Jesus. You may be filled with joy and excitement. I am! What a future. And you know what. That future is now. We already know God. He is with us every step of the way. The Spirit is with us. He looks after us. He keeps us secure in Christ. What blessings now! But then! Oh then! Face to face. Come Lord Jesus, Come!

The offer of eternal life

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Isaiah 43:18-44:5 Salvation is about God, not about us.

Isaiah 43:18-44:5

Have a look at this picture. It’s the famous ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, showing the creation of man. God, in all his glory, giving man the divine spark of life.

But this is what we often reduce God to. This is from the Christian comic artist Adam4d. We reduce God to the genie out of Aladdin. We want him to jump out when we call, and say “Poof! What do you want, Master.”

That is what Israel had been doing with God. But life does not work our way. We are not the master. Life is not designed to glorify us. All creation exists for one purpose and one purpose only: to glorify God.

And that’s the only way it works. Everything is designed to glorify God. And when we go against that things go wrong. It’s like trying to run a freight train off the rails. Evertyhing goes wrong. A train is designed to travel on rails. On rails – good. Off rails – very, very bad!

And we, and everything around us, are like that. Living to God’s glory – good. Living against God, ignoring God, rebelling against God – very, very bad. For us! We must learn from the painful lessons Israel learned! They treated God like a genie. They put themselves over God. And things went very wrong. So now they’re in exile and Jerusalem lies in ruins.

It is actually in our own self-interest to live God’s way. The problem is, even if we see it, even if we know what is right, we still don’t do it. We are spiritually blind. Don’t believe me? Think about this: we all agree it is wrong to lie. Right, that’s what you teach your kids: “Don’t lie”. How many of us in this room tell lies. How many of you have told a lie? Everyone who’s told a lie stand up. Well, I know it’s not just me!!

So our first point this morning is from v18-25 We are spiritually blind, which leads to suffering and judgement.
And our second point is But God as chapter 43 begins. But God saves us because of God. It’s his decision. It’s his choice. For his glory.

1. We are spiritually blind which leads to suffering and judgement (42:18-25)

Is 42:18 “Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind! 19 Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the LORD? 20 You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don’t really listen.”

Israel are spiritually, morally blind. They know what is right… but they don’t do it. Has anything changed in 3000 years?
All of us are guilty, blind, even by our own standards of right and wrong, never mind God’s standards! Ever had a new year’s resolution: this year I’m going to change this. This will be different. How many of those did you actually keep? We fall even by our own standards! How ridiculous to think we can be acceptable to God, even we’re not even acceptable to ourselves. How blind!

Now, we often give ourselves a free pass when we fail to live up to our own standards. Well, I was tired. She was horrible, so I had to be horrible back. Telling a lie was totally the right thing to do in this situation. We brush off our failures, our sins, with ah, it doesn’t matter. And that’s because we’re not holy.

But God is holy. He is perfect in his goodness. And he cannot just brush away our sins.
Imagine you’ve just been robbed – everything you own has been stolen. And the policeman who comes to investigate suddenly says “ah, you know what, it’s not important”. And leaves!
Or the judge in a murder trial says, “yawn, it doesn’t matter. Case dismissed.”
What!!! That’s unjust! That’s not right! That’s not fair!

That would be like God ignoring our sin. Our rebellion against him. Imagine all the horrors of World War 2. Ah doesn’t matter says God. Or the ongoing war in Sudan. Who cares says God, I love everyone. That would make us mad. Or that person who really hurt us in third grade, who said horrible things the whole year until we just exploded. Doesn’t matter? Or what about the lies that I’ve told. Or the people that I’ve hurt? We’ve all done it. Done things we reject. Said something really hurtful. Done something we’ve regretted ever since. Would it be right for us just to be let off the hook. For God to says “it doesn’t matter”. No.

21 Because he is righteous, the LORD has exalted his glorious law.

Because God is righteous. Because he is good. We mistake being good with being polite or being nice. You know, shine your shoes, don’t say anything offensive. But that’s not goodness. Being good – standing up for what is right – can make you a real pain. Think about people standing up to protest against injustice, often going to jail, even being killed because people get so angry with them. God is that kind of good – but a lot more. God is frighteningly good!
God is terrifying to us precisely because he is good! Because his perfect goodness shows up our imperfect goodness. It’s like getting dirt all over your clothes in the night – you know you brush past the car in winter and when you come inside, into the light – oh, look at how dirty I am!
Meeting God’s righteousness is seeing how dirty we are. It is a painful thing to become a Christian, because it involves admitting I am dirty. I am a sinner. Compared to God, I am not good. I need a saviour.

21 Because he is righteous, the LORD has exalted his glorious law.

God is righteous which means he upholds his good law. God has created this world with laws. In science we investigate his physical laws, like gravity. But God also created moral laws. And when you try to break the laws of gravity, like jumping from the roof and saying I can fly – the results are painful. The same is when we disobey God’s moral laws. When we ignore him, do not worship him. When we lie, when we hurt others. When we ignore his laws on sex and marriage. When we hate our enemies and give in to anger and bitterness and revenge – instead of being like him. Soon everything spirals down into chaos. Some of us know this well. We have lived without God, against God, and our lives are a mess. Like Israel.

22 But his own people have been robbed and plundered, enslaved, imprisoned, and trapped. They are fair game for anyone and have no one to protect them, no one to take them back home.

The point of all this, though is to teach us! For us to learn: 23 Who will hear these lessons from the past and see the ruin that awaits you in the future? 24 Who allowed Israel to be robbed and hurt? It was the LORD, against whom we sinned, for the people would not walk in his path, nor would they obey his law. 25 Therefore, he poured out his fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were enveloped in flames, but they still refused to understand. They were consumed by fire, but they did not learn their lesson.

What should they understand? To listen to the Lord and obey him. To stop living their own way. To stop worshipping idols. Last week we saw how we are all idolators. An idol is not just something made of wood or stone or gold, not just a thing, but anything that takes God’s place in our life. Even good things like family or spouse (husband or wife), exercise, even church – can take the place of God. That is an idol.
You see, some of us have been lucky enough to grow up in Norway, a country where God’s laws have been known for a 1000 years and followed to a large extent, so our lives have pretty much worked out well. Norway is a fantastic country to live in. But we don’t know the Lord, don’t know why things have worked. We are like Israel described in 43: 22 “But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me, O Israel! 23 You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings. You have not honoured me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with requests for grain offerings and frankincense.

We’ve just ignored God. Well, thanks for your gifts, but I don’t need you, I’m doing a good job with my life.

What do you think God’s response will be?

Learn from history. Learn from the mistakes of others. Because if you make this mistake, if you ignore God, thinking it will be ok, well, history tells us exactly how it will go.

25 Therefore, he poured out his fury on them and destroyed them in battle. They were enveloped in flames, but they still refused to understand. They were consumed by fire, but they did not learn their lesson.

The future for those who ignore God, who live against God, is dark. It is fire, it is bloodshed, it is suffering and pain.

We are spiritually blind. But there is hope.

2. But God – God’s salvation is because of God. His choice (v10) for his glory (v7)

Is 43 But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.

I hear a lot of rubbish these days about people seeking God, taking steps of faith, and that God doesn’t know who is going to respond to him. We are BLIND. We are in darkness. Look at v1. I have ransomed. I have called you. Salvation is his work from start to finish.

Praise God! It is his work. How does he do this? Well, remember last week the servant was going to open the eyes of the blind. (42:7) 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.

It is the servant, the servant of God who will do these things. And as we follow the Bible story through the centuries, the amazing, surprising, wonderful thing, is that this servant is God himself. Yes, the mighty King, the messiah, the rescuer, the Mighty Warrior, Lord of Heaven’s Armies: came as a baby, small, vulnerable, humble. Jesus shrunk himself down to nothing, to become like one of us. He lived among us, becoming one of us in order - not to judge, not to condemn – but to rescue by taking our place.

And he does this because he wants to. It is his action, his motivation. It’s not because we, or Israel before us, have sacrificed enough or been religious enough or given enough money to charity or got baptised and confirmed in den norske kirke!

No, he saves us when we’re busy ignoring him! Look at v22-2522 “But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me, O Israel! 23 You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings. You have not honoured me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with requests for grain offerings and frankincense. 24 You have not brought me fragrant calamus or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your faults. Not looking good is it. And if salvation was based on our performance, it wouldn’t be good. But just look at v25. “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.

That’s why He says in v1 “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”

He’s ransomed us – paid the price to set us free. It’s like we’ve been kidnapped “give a million dollars or else” – and he’s paid the cost to set us free. Why? Because we are his, we belong to Him. He is our Father. We are His children. And under his protection. And so, no matter what life throws at us, we are safe.

2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. … 5 “Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will gather you and your children from east and west. 6 I will say to the north and south, ‘Bring my sons and daughters back to Israel from the distant corners of the earth. 7 Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them.’

Now the background here remember is that the people of Israel are in Babylon. Jerusalem was defeated and all the people taken away, out of the Promised Land, into exile. And God is saying don’t worry about the journey back, I will make sure you get to your destination. I will bring you back to the promised land.

For us, our Promised Land is not Israel (thank goodness). Ours is heaven – the new creation, where we will see God face to face. That is where Jesus has promised to take us. No crying no mourning no death no sin. All will be at peace. That is where we are going. And if we are in Christ nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing, can stop us from getting there. Not even our own sin! If we are his, we are His.

Now these verses don’t mean that if you are a Christian you can leap into a burning building and you’ll be fine. Or jump into a raging river and not drown. You will. But it does mean that no matter what happens, even if your life falls to pieces around you, you are safe.

A man by the name of Horatio Spafford went through fire and raging flood. It was 1871, he was a lawyer in Chicago, had invested well in property – and then the great Chicago Fire burned it all up and he lost nearly all his wealth. Gone. He started to build up again but two years later in 1873 the economy crashed. He had been planning to travel to Europe with his wife and four daughters, but had to stay behind to try to sort out his financial mess. The ship his wife and four daughters were travelling in sank while crossing the Atlantic, and Horatio received this telegram from his wife “Saved alone…”
His daughters were dead. His business was in ruins.

How do you respond at a time like that?

We know how he responded. On his way to meet his wife he passed the point where the ship sank and his daughters drowned. And it was there he wrote the hymn “It is well with my soul:
When peace like a river, attendeth my way, (when things are going well). When sorrows like sea billows roll; (when things are going badly). Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know, It is well, it is well, with my soul. (Whatever happens, we are secure. God is in control). My favourite verse is verse 3: “My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, (all my sin) Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Brothers: may that be our cry this week, this month, this year, and beyond. No matter what happens, let us rejoice, for we are secure. We are safe in his hands.

One last thing. These promises are for those who belong to Christ. He died for his own, his chosen people. So the question is: are you one of his people. Do you belong to him? Because if not, your own your own. And you will not get to the Promised Land. It is not well with your soul. I urge you to learn from history. Learn from the Israelites – what happened to them when they abandoned God. Learn from your own life, your own mistakes. Repent – that is turn from living your own way, and turn to God. Ask him for help.

Dear God, I have no right to ask you for help. I have ignored you. I have lived without you. But I have heard that you are full of mercy. So please save me. For the sake of your name and for your glory. I want to belong to you. And I want you to be my God. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Isaiah 41-42:17 Who’s on trial?

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Isaiah 41:1-42:17

Is 41 “Listen in silence before me, you lands beyond the sea. Bring your strongest arguments. Come now and speak. The court is ready for your case.

I’ve never been to court, but I’ve certainly seen enough court cases on TV. The prosecution makes their argument. Then the defence. Then the judge delivers a verdict: guilty or not guilty.

That’s what we’ve got going on here. The weird thing is, is it’s not God doing the judging. No, he’s asking US to be the judge, to answer the question: who is God? Is it the Lord, the God of heaven’s armies? Or is it the idols?

The court is ready, let us hear the arguments, and let us judge.
First, the case for the Lord; second the case for the idols; and third what is God going to do: call his servant.

1. The case for the Lord: sovereign, real, in control

2 “Who has stirred up this king from the east, rightly calling him to God’s service? Who gives this man victory over many nations and permits him to trample their kings underfoot? With his sword, he reduces armies to dust. With his bow, he scatters them like chaff before the wind. 3 He chases them away and goes on safely, though he is walking over unfamiliar ground. 4 Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he.”

The first evidence God gives is that he is calling forth a “king from the east”, calling him to God’s service. A powerful king, a brutal warrior is coming.

Now remember the background for chapters 40 to 66. Even though God had warned his people to repent through Isaiah, even though he’d miraculously rescued them from the Assyrians, Israel did not repent, Jerusalem continued to sin. And so what God had warned would happen, happened. Judgement fell. The Babylonians came and destroyed Jerusalem and took everyone away to Babylon.
Now, Isaiah speaks to those in Babylon, grieving over the loss of their land, and the defeat of their God. Isaiah speaks to them to remind them that God is not dead – no, he was the one who caused this to happen. And he is still in control, he is still with them. And he warns them not to forget God, and run after idols! I mean, what happened to Jerusalem should be a warning!

And now he warns those in Babylon – I am raising up a great king from the east. A mighty warrior is coming. Does this sound familiar? It’s similar words used to describe Assyria. And they swept through the lands like a mighty flood. Unstoppable. Why? 4 Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he.”

When they hear these words, how do the people respond? 5 The lands beyond the sea watch in fear. Remote lands tremble and mobilize for war. In fear they run to their false gods! 6 The idol makers encourage one another, saying to each other, “Be strong!” 7 The carver encourages the goldsmith, and the moulder helps at the anvil. “Good,” they say. “It’s coming along fine.” Carefully they join the parts together, then fasten the thing in place so it won’t fall over.

We don’t even need to read further, do we? God does not fall over! He calls forth, he makes things happen. The case for the Lord is strong. Trusting in idols is stupid.

2. The case for idols: nothing

21 “Present the case for your idols,” says the LORD. “Let them show what they can do,” says the King of Israel. 22 “Let them try to tell us what happened long ago so that we may consider the evidence. Or let them tell us what the future holds, so we can know what’s going to happen. 23 Yes, tell us what will occur in the days ahead. Then we will know you are gods.

Many people nowadays have a Buddha statue in their house. Or they have a Lucky Frog in the corner. Or crystals. Many worship false gods: Krishna, the Hindu pantheon, ancestors – some even worship saints, praying to them as if they were Jesus himself. And if you do this – stop it. You do not need someone between you and Jesus, whether it is an ancestor or a priest or a holy man or a saint, or even an angel. As we saw last week, Jesus Christ has opened the highway to heaven. We have access to the very throne room of God. In Christ we are sons of God. No more idols.

For idols, whatever form they take, cannot even tell you what’s already happened, never mind what’s coming in the future. New idols such as the state, NAV, or business – they don’t know what’s going ot happen tomorrow. Oil prices drop, wars happen, refugees arrive on our doorstep – all this has taken us by surprise. Why put your faith in the state, in politicians, in money, in business, when they don’t even know what will happen tomorrow!

In fact, v23 carries on, In fact, do anything—good or bad! Do something that will amaze and frighten us. 24 But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Those who choose you pollute themselves.

Idols are dead and bring death. God’s way brings life because he alone knows the future. He alone brings it about. No-one else even knows the future, let alone controls it! 26 “Who told you from the beginning that this would happen? Who predicted this, making you admit that he was right? No one said a word! 27 I was the first to tell Zion, ‘Look! Help is on the way!’ I will send Jerusalem a messenger with good news. 28 Not one of your idols told you this. Not one gave any answer when I asked. 29 See, they are all foolish, worthless things. All your idols are as empty as the wind.

It is said that those who do not know or do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. One of the most repeated commands in the Bible is “remember”. Remember what has happened. Remember what God has done in the past. Remember what he has promised to do.

So remember how these idols had no idea what God was about to do. No-one in Babylon knew that a king from the east would come from the north and capture them. If they did, they would have been ready! But the idols of Babylon, the false gods, were as empty as the wind. We know what happened because history tells us. Just as Isaiah predicted, about 80 years before it happened, in 538 King Cyrus of the Medes and Persians, from the land east of Babylon, swept down out of the north and Babylon crumpled like a piece of paper.

Did any of their idols warn them? No, only God knew, only God said in advance what would happen.

What idols do I worship? What is it that we put our trust in instead of God? Where do I find my deepest identity: in him? Or something else? What could I not live without? Him? Or something or someone else?

Even good things can be idols. Wife, family. They can be idols if they come before God. No the church, but God. For even the church, religion, religious performance, can be an idol. Exercise, going to the gym can be an idol – if we get our significance, our security, from how big and strong we are! All good things – but never let the good be the enemy of the best. God is the best – He is above all things. We I must bring everything else I do under Christ’s rule, under his lordship. He is the Lord. I am his servant, his son, his creation. And in him I am secure. His way brings life.

Idolatry brings death, destruction. Many of us know this. We live with the pain of past sin. Jesus’ work on the cross can forgive our sins, but we often still have the consequences to work through. And that’s tough. But now He is with us as we deal with the consequences, the results of our sin. And he helps us to rebuild.

Idols are worthless because they know nothing. God is in control of the future, and he is going to do a great thing.

3. What will the Lord do? He will send his servant

Is 42 “Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. 2 He will not shout or raise his voice in public. 3 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. 4 He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.”

Ok. The first question is who is this servant that God will send? In 41:2 he calls the king from the east (Cyrus) his servant (“called to God’s service”). But it doesn’t seem to be him. Cyrus is called to be the rampaging warrior, trampling kings underfoot, crushing them like pottery. But this servant will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle.

Well, maybe it’s Israel? 41:8 “But as for you, Israel my servant, Jacob my chosen one, descended from Abraham my friend, 9 I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away.

Well, that is certainly their calling, isn’t it? This is what they were supposed to be: a light to the nations, bringing justice, showing people God in all his glory. But we know their track record, what they’ve done in the past, and it’s not good. I mean they’re in Babylon for a reason. And next week’s passage starts like this 19 Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the LORD?

It seems to be someone who will call Israel back to the Lord. A faithful servant. Perhaps, as Isaiah spoke these words, he thought it could be him. But no, his message was going to fall on deaf ears – God had told him this in chapter 6 – but this servant will not lose heart until the whole world has heard!

So who is this servant? Well, we get a hint in v1: This servant will be anointed with God’s Spirit (v1). This only happened to kings, prophets, and priests. Now hang on, in the first part of Isaiah we met a King. A great, eternal King who would rescue God’s people. A child would be born to a virgin. A child who would be called wonderful counsellor, everlasting God. God himself would visit his people and would save them! Could this “servant” be God himself? But why is he called servant.

This is why for the Jews from Isaiah’s time to Jesus’ time, they thought of them as two different people. The Victorious King. The suffering servant. Because we read on, we find out more about this gentle servant who will bring justice to the nations. He will do it through great suffering, even, in chapter 53, giving his own life. Now that doesn’t sound like a victorious king, does it?

Only when Jesus came did we see ah, the King IS the Servant. He is the all powerful King – but he will use his power to save, not to condemn. He will lead people not by v2 shouting or raising his voice in public, or crushing the weak – no big political rallies, no manipulation, no use of force to make people obey. Nothing like normal politics. This Servant is a different type of leader, one who will bring justice – that sentence literally means proclaim or declare justice – God’s right judgement – to the world. And look how the verses continue: 6 “I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. 7 You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons.

Just as last week we saw the Lord in all his power and glory come like a shepherd carrying his sheep to safety, today we see Jesus, the promised King, God almighty himself, come as the Servant. And as we see Jesus on the cross, the King of the Jews said the sign above him, we see a proclamation of God’s right judgement on sin – as Jesus took it all – all our sin – in his body. Sin will be punished. And we see a proclamation of forgiveness – we are the battered reed, the flickering candle – and he does not put us out, but strengthens weak arms, and weak knees and gives us new strength. WE are made new, made to be like him to follow him, and we shall soar on wings like eagles. We are those with blind eyes who will now see. We who are prisoners of sin are now free, because of what Jesus has done. If we are in Christ – if we belong to him, put our trust in him,. Obey him - we are a new creation. A new man. And all the power of heaven is within us by the Spirit.

8 “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise with carved idols. 9 Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.” 10 Sing a new song to the LORD! Sing his praises from the ends of the earth! Sing, all you who sail the seas, all you who live in distant coastlands. 11 Join in the chorus, you desert towns; let the villages of Kedar rejoice! Let the people of Sela sing for joy; shout praises from the mountaintops! 12 Let the whole world glorify the LORD; let it sing his praise.

This is the great future which God promised his people. Cyrus was a great rescuer, yes, but there was a greater rescuer, a greater King to come. Isaiah was a great prophet, yes, but a greater prophet, the Word himself, would come. Israel was a great nation, and blessed the world in many ways – but Jesus, he was the perfect son of God, the righteous servant who did not sin. When Israel stumbled he did not. No idol worship in Jesus. He is the righteous one.

So what is our response?

1. We praise God! In the way we live we praise God. Have you thanked God for his great salvation? Do you sing his praise on the way to work? Do I fill my mind with his glory and wonder and say to him “wow, you are great!”?

2. Understand that we live in Babylon (or sinful Jerusalem). We live in a country that worships idols. Greed drives our society. We run after pleasure, the idol of the “good life”. A big house, a cabin in the mountains, a boat, maybe a motorbike. It is deep within us. The idol of pleasure affects our relationships. You don’t make me happy - I’ll drop you. No thought of service, of sacrificial love. We’ve got a few families in the pregnancy and young baby stage of life. That’s a hard stage. And certainly reveals how sinful we are. Lean on the Lord, pray, ask him to help you not be selfish angry, snapping at your wife (or husband). The Holy Spirit does not leave us when we are pregnant (or married to a pregnant lady).

3. We need to repent of our idols. How stupid we are to trust on our idols. Things that will fall over. All our wealth can be lost in a moment. Cabins need to be repaired, and boats eat up our time. A waste, sacrificing our lives to THINGS. Idol worship is dumb. Yet we do it. Sacrifice our family on the altar of career. Ignore our kids because we’re too busy packing fruit in a shop because society says to us that’s the woman’s role. Wife? Mother? No, not important. What your kids really need is to be looked after a stranger and YOU are needed to pack fruit in a shop. It’s rather stupid isn’t it? The idol is wobbling.

4. If we claim to follow God, our lives should look different. Like Israel, we are God’s servants. We are chosen by God. How should we then live?

Well it’s not by wearing different clothes or having a big cross around our necks or wearing funny hats. None of those things mean anything. But it is a heart change. How we treat other people. How we see strangers, foreigners. How we use our money, our time.
And it’s seen not in grand gestures or public displays of being good or religious. It is how we are at home, in private, when only God sees us. For example, how we treat our wife (or samboer, if you haven’t repented yet and married her!). Do we love her like Jesus? Are we committed to her? Are we concerned about her relationship with the Lord? With her godliness? Are we willing to say “no” to things that would get in the way of being godly? And “yes” to things that will help her be godly? Will we lead our family in reading the Bible, in family prayer? In getting everyone off to church. In making sure we go to Bible study, even if our wife says “oh, honeeyy, do you have to go out and bats her eyelashes at us....”

Do we run after idols like “I deserve to happy, it’s because I’m worth it”. Or do we follow the Lord “I will love, no matter what the cost, because He has loved me”.

Is that hard? Yes! But we are not alone. 41:10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

Many of us know the pain of running after idols. Of living the world’s way instead of God’s way. But those idols always come crashing down at the worst possible time.

Brothers, let us follow Christ, no matter the cost. Even though we, like Israel, may feel like a lowly worm, unworthy before God v14 Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don’t be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the LORD, your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.’

He is our saviour, and his salvation is secure. He knows our future and it is good because we are with Him.

Isaiah 40 God is with us, no matter where we are

Isaiah 40

MP3

Imagine someone’s attacked your home city. After a brutal battle, you’ve been carried off into captivity. That’s what lay in Israel’s future. Exile. Refugees.

Some of us don’t need to imagine – we remember. Many of us have had to flee from our countries because of war and other evils. Some of us have moved countries for other reasons – but we still don’t fully belong – we are foreigners in a foreign land.
And as Christians, we all can feel that exile, that not quite fitting in. We are all foreigners in a foreign land because Norway is only our temporary home, a shadow of our real home: heaven, the new creation. We belong with the Lord. Our heart longs to be with him, to see him face to face.

We are foreigners in a foreign land. All around us are temptations to forget the Lord, to forget our real home. Idols clamour for our attention, and it is so easy to give in, to settle, to be like everyone else. But who is like the Lord? There is no comparison! So why abandon Him, the Living God, to follow the idols of the world, which fall over if they’re not held up? What does God say to us? How should we live? How should we feel about Norway, the country we now live in?

These are the questions Israel faced as they were carried off into exile in Babylon. They were no longer in Israel, no longer in Jerusalem. They were no longer home. The temptation was strong to just go with the flow, forget Jerusalem, forget God, and be a Babylonian.

But God had not forgotten his people. He was with his people in exile, and he would bring them home. That’s our first point. And the second is this: Everything fades into shadow, but God endures forever.

1. God is with his people in exile – and will bring them home

40:1 “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.”

Something has obviously gone very wrong for Israel since Jerusalem was miraculously saved by the Lord from the HUGE Assyrian army. Remember last week: Jerusalem was surrounded. Assyria had moved through country after country, taking them by force – including the Northern Kingdom of Israel and their capital, Samaria. They had been taken captive, and carried off into Assyria. And now that same army surrounded Jerusalem. But King Hezekiah fell before the Lord, laid out the problem before Him, and asked for the Lord to have mercy. Hezekiah knew that the Lord was King, and that only He could save Jerusalem.

And He did. 185000 Assyrian soldiers died in one night. When the King of Assyria, Sennacherib, awoke the next morning – he was surrounded by corpses – and he ran home. What a great rescue!

So why does chapter 40 begin with the words “Comfort” and talk about punishment having been served?

Well, look back at chapter 39: The Babylonians are coming. After Assyria, the Babylonians arrived on the scene as the big superpower. 3 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah and asked him, “What did those men want? Where were they from?” Hezekiah replied, “They came from the distant land of Babylon.” 4 “What did they see in your palace?” asked Isaiah. “They saw everything,” Hezekiah replied. “I showed them everything I own—all my royal treasuries.” 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Listen to this message from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: 6 ‘The time is coming when everything in your palace—all the treasures stored up by your ancestors until now—will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left,’ says the Lord. 7 ‘Some of your very own sons will be taken away into exile. They will become eunuchs who will serve in the palace of Babylon’s king.’ ”

And exactly that happened. Less than 80 years after Isaiah spoke those words, in 626 BC, Babylon rose in power under King Nabopolassar. They smashed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, in 612BC, and became the world superpower. Babylon was the biggest city in the world at that stage with over 200 000 people.
In 605BC Nebuchadnezzar became king. And in 597BC Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, and its capital Jerusalem, became part of the Babylonian empire. A few years later King Zedekiah of Jerusalem decided to trust in Egypt – remember Isaiah’s warnings against that! – and he rebelled against Babylon’s rule.
That didn’t go well. Babylon’s armies surrounded Jerusalem in 588BC for a year and half, and Jerusalem fell in 587. The city was destroyed, the Temple torn down and all its treasures carried off, and all the people were carried off to Babylon. Israel was no more. Jerusalem was but a memory. There was no palace, no city walls, and no Temple. God had abandoned them. They were alone. Refugees, prisoners of war, in a foreign land.

That is what Isaiah sees, and so, about 80 years before it happens, the Lord has already given Isaiah this word: “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. 2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem. Tell her that her sad days are gone and her sins are pardoned. Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over for all her sins.”

You may be in exile now, but the time will come when the Lord will call you home. And don’t worry, I am with you, says the Lord. I have dealt with your sins. And I am coming to get you.

3 Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the LORD! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God! 4 Fill in the valleys, and level the mountains and hills. Straighten the curves, and smooth out the rough places. 5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. The LORD has spoken!”

There will come a time – soon, very soon – when the Lord will reveal his glory, and the people will come home on a highway through the wasteland. The impossible journey back to Jerusalem – will be a paved highway, easy. God has done this – filled the valleys, levelled the hills – no more obstacles are in the way. We’re coming home!

But this isn’t the first time we’ve read about this highway. And it won’t just be Israel coming home – the vision is wider, bigger, greater than this. Is 19:23–25 In that day Egypt and Assyria will be connected by a highway. The Egyptians and Assyrians will move freely between their lands, and they will both worship God. 24 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth. 25 For the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will say, “Blessed be Egypt, my people. Blessed be Assyria, the land I have made. Blessed be Israel, my special possession!”

Egypt and Assyria, the great enemies of God’s people – will be blessed, will worship God? Blessed be Egypt, my people? Yes! This is the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham – that all the world will be blessed through him and his descendant. It’s a call to anyone, everyone, who wants to know the Lord to come. Come, for the way is open.

You know, when times are difficult, it’s much easier to keep going if you know there is an end in sight. If you can see the finish line, you can press on. This was the finish line for the Israelites in exile in Babylon. Press on. Keep the faith. Don’t lose heart. For a time is coming when the Lord will bring you back. The exile will soon be over.

For us, the message is the same. Our exile will soon be over. We will soon be home. For the words in v3 should be familiar to all of us who’ve ever had a Christmas service. These are the words describing John the Baptist. He was a voice calling in the wilderness: Prepare the way for the Lord.

And Jesus came. He is the Lord, coming to visit his people. He rescued his people from exile, from slavery to sin, through his death on the cross and his resurrection.

And so the Lord says to us this morning: Comfort, comfort my people. Your sins are pardoned. There is a highway to heaven. The way is clear, and we have seen the glory of God: our Lord upon the Cross, saying “it is finished”. Whatever we have done, the evil things we have done, the good things we haven’t done... Forgiven.
I mean Israel was a complete mess. They sinned so badly, even sacrificing their own children to false gods – and yet God forgives them, speaks tenderly to them. Not because their sin does not matter – no their sin has been punished, the price has been paid, by God himself.

And so too for us. If we believe in Jesus, trust him with our lives, obey Him as our Master – then our sins are dealt with, washed away, gone. And instead of anger at our sin, we hear the words “comfort”.

We too are in exile this morning, living in a sinful world, amongst sinful people, struggling with our own sin. It is a battle, a fight each day to follow the Lord. But the way is clear, the highway is open: Jesus has opened the way to heaven, to the New Creation, the City of our God. And one day, soon, we will be with him. The finish line is ahead of us. Let us not lose heart. Don’t give up. Keep going, press on.

Because this life is gone in an instant, we are like grass – here today, gone tomorrow. But the Lord! He endures, he is forever, his word is powerful.

2. Everything fades into shadow, but God endures forever

6 A voice said, “Shout!” I asked, “What should I shout?” “Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Chapter 40 is a reality check for those in exile. They were probably in awe of the might of Babylon. Babylon was the biggest city in the world, the head of a mighty empire. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the Ancient World, is said to have been built there by Nebuchadnezzar. You can imagine how weak and unimpressive Jerusalem seemed. It must have seemed pathetic, weak, small.

Isn’t that how we sometimes feel? I mean, look at us here. Are we really going to change the world? We’re pathetic, small, unimpressive. And the rest of the world seems so big, so powerful. Shouldn’t we just go with the flow? Live like everyone else. What’s the point of following God? Nebuchadnezzar beat him. What’s the point of following Jesus, a dead guy on a cross? A suffering servant. It seems so… weak.

But this is the reality. All that seems so strong and so powerful – is weak. Temporary. Gone in an instant. The Lord just needs to breathe on it, and it withers, fades. All that we see around us – the might and wealth of Norway. All our money from ouil. All the pride that we have in our welfare system, in how good we are, in our role in the world bringing peace and supporting good causes. Haaaa – God breathes, and it withers, fades, to nothing.

Every great Empire has fallen. Babylon, Babylon the great, the mighty, the magnificent – fell in 538. It lasted less than 100 years. How long will our oil last? We’ve seen the past few months how insecure it really is as the oil price has gone off a cliff. Seems so impressive, so secure – and is as shaky as a plate of jelly!

Putting our trust in the state. Being fooled by its seeming power and permance is dumb. It is idolatry – worshipping something other than God.

15 No, for all the nations of the world are but a drop in the bucket. They are nothing more than dust on the scales. He picks up the whole earth as though it were a grain of sand. 16 All the wood in Lebanon’s forests and all Lebanon’s animals would not be enough to make a burnt offering worthy of our God. 17 The nations of the world are worth nothing to him. In his eyes they count for less than nothing— mere emptiness and froth.

Emptiness and froth. All our suits with power ties, all our pomp and ceremony. All our successes we trumpet to the nations. All our great buildings. All our glory. Emptiness and froth.

But the Lord’s word stands forever. He is powerful to save. His arm is strong.

12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale? 13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the LORD? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him? 14 Has the LORD ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?

Who else has his power? Just because he comes in tenderness, in mercy. Just because he limited himself, became our suffering servant and took his place on the cross – that does not mean he has no power. He comes like a shepherd, gentle. 10 Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in power. He will rule with a powerful arm. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young. But his gentleness is not because he has no power. No! He uses his power to save. But 22 God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them. 23 He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing. 24 They hardly get started, barely taking root, when he blows on them and they wither. The wind carries them off like chaff.

The point is: who will we serve? Many of our brothers and sisters before us have understood this. They have faced the “powers” of the day unafraid, even to the point of death, because they could see with eyes of faith the Reality. The powers are like chaff, blown away on the wind, but the Lord sits enthroned above the earth.

I’m reading through Acts with my children and we’ve got to chapter 4, where Peter and John have been dragged before the high council and been told to shut up about Jesus – or else.
Their answer? Ac 4:19–20 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”

They knew what was real and what was only temporary. They knew that God’s word will stand while the council and all its power was like grass, like chaff. Worthless, meaningless.

Across the world our Christian brothers and sisters are standing tall, risking their lives, refusing to obey man, refusing to bow down to idols, refusing to keep quiet about Jesus. May we be like them, a band of brothers who will not quit, will not fall, as we follow our Leader, our Captain, our King, Jesus.

Otherwise we are fools. Ignorant. 21 Haven’t you heard? Don’t you understand? Are you deaf to the words of God— the words he gave before the world began? Are you so ignorant?

Let us follow Christ, no matter the cost. He is no idol, a created thing. We did not make him up. We did not cut down a piece of wood and shape it and decorate it and say here is Christ! No, he is the living God, who came down from heaven to show us God Almighty, and to seek and to save the lost. That is the God we serve.

So no matter the cost, we follow him. Bloodied and battered, we follow him. Standing tall, we follow him. And when we fall, he is there to pick us up. On your feet solider! Follow me!

27 O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? 28 Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. 30 Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. 31 But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

God is with us even in our exile, even when we feel so foreign, so other, so out of place – he is with us. And his strength, his power, his word is enough to bring us home. He is secure. He is worth following. Everything else will fade away, but God endures forever.

Exiles, foreigners – stand tall, follow God, for he is with us! Amen!

Our God is the sovereign God

Isaiah 28-31

Last night I went walking with my dog, Eowyn. At one point in the walk I said to her “wait”. She obediently stopped running, and waited – and then the car went past. See, Eowyn is dumb with cars, and doesn’t see them as a danger. But I do. I know what’s best for her. She’s my dog. I bought her, I paid for her. She’s mine. And I look after her – I make sure she has food and water and a warm place to sleep.

But what if she doesn’t listen to me? What if she’s disobedient? A bad dog? What will I do? I will train her. I will have to punish her if the disobedience is big enough. But she could also be badly injured by running in front of a car because she didn’t listen. And if she’s being aggressive and biting people? Eventually I would have to put her down – she would have to die because of her actions, her choices.

It’s a bit like that with God and us. We belong to him because we are made by him. And if we are Christians then we belong to him again because we are bought by him, by his blood. We are his. But like a disobedient dog, we don’t listen. Often our lives look like they’ve been hit by a car - a mess! And the end result is: we’ll be put down like a bad dog. And that’s kind of the warning in Isaiah. God is warning his people to get right with him or face the consequences. He is exposing their disobedience in the evil things going on in society: rich oppressing poor, injustice, out of control sex, children being ignored, fake religion – people going through their religious duties but not loving God, greed, money, money, money, money, wanting more, never satisfied, and widespread drunkenness. All descriptions of Israel in 740BC – and which could equally describe Norway in 2016. Sex, greed, drunkenness, injustice, fake religion. These are our sins too.

Our journey through Isaiah has been a sobering one – that is, it’s made us sit up and say “woah”! Because we’ve been confronted by God – by who He is and how holy and mighty and OTHER He is. He is not some pet to be given a treat every now and again. He does not sit, longing to be with us, waiting for us to turn and give him some attention – the lonely god… Please love me. He is not a fool who doesn’t know when people are saying that they love him and doing all the religious rituals – but don’t actually love him.

No he is the Almighty God. His glory fills the Temple. The room shakes when he speaks. He is the God who is utterly sovereign over all things, over all nations – whether you are in Jerusalem, the very capital of the people of God – or whether you are in the farthest reaches of the desert, in the caravans of Dedan, hiding in the deserts of Arabia – He is still sovereign over you. Sovereign to judge. Sovereign to save.

He is God, the one and only. There is no other.

Since we’ve all probably forgotten a lot of Isaiah – I had before I started preparing this! – I thought I’d use this morning to cover the next couple of chapters as well as reminding us of what we’ve already learned, and some of the key themes, the big ideas, we’ve learned already from this amazing prophet.

1. God is God, and He alone is the sovereign God.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says” – how often do we hear those words in Isaiah, or “This is what the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, says”. The point is that it doesn’t matter what anyone else says. All that matters is what God says, because HE is the Sovereign Lord. He is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. His words are not mere words. His words are power.

I can say “I curse you!” – empty words. I can say “I bless you!” – empty words. My words, like yours, have very little power. But God’s words. Wow. What he says goes. When he speaks, it happens.

How often do we forget this, and think that my words matter, instead of God! Doh! The Israelites did! Look at 29:15 What sorrow awaits those who try to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their evil deeds in the dark! “The LORD can’t see us,” they say. “He doesn’t know what’s going on!” 16 How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”?

He is the Creator. He is the Maker. They are created. They are made. He is BIGGER THAN THEM. They belong to Him, not Him to them. He is sovereign over them.

He is our Creator, our Maker. We, you and I, are created, made by God. He is BIGGER THAN US. We, I, belong to Him, not Him to me, us. He is sovereign over us.

What I have found most exciting, most thrilling, and most challenging – just really hard! – is the utter power that God has. I don’t like it. I don’t like that he is sovereign over me. I don’t like that he is more powerful than me. Because I want to be God! I want to decide the course of my life because I know better.
And I certainly don’t want him to sit in judgement over me!! I don’t want to be held accountable for my actions. I want to judge myself, thank you very much, because I like me, and I think I’m a decent bloke and of course I deserve heaven and every other good thing that comes my way.

But He is sovereign, not me. He is in control, not me. He is Creator, I am created. He is Lord. He is Master.

And that means we need to give an account to Him.

2. God is sovereign and so our choices matter

A massive point, in fact the main narrative, the main driving force of Isaiah up until now is that God will judge the nations for their wickedness and their rebellion against him. God is the judge. And he measures us by our response to him. Israel chose to disobey. And their choice matters. It has real consequences.

28:1What sorrow awaits the proud city of Samaria (the capital of Northern Israel) — the glorious crown of the drunks of Israel. It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. It is the pride of a people brought down by wine. 2 For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground. So foreigners will come and take over the land and oppress the people. As v11says 11 So now God will have to speak to his people through foreign oppressors who speak a strange language!
(This is, by the way, why Paul says in 1 Cor 14 that we should not speak in tongues without an interpretation, because foreign tongues is a sign of judgement. Instead we should prophesy – that is share the gospel of Jesus in a way that is relevant and clear. Which is why we emphasise knowing your Bible, knowing the gospel so that you can prophesy and save someone, rather than speak in tongues and judge someone).

29:1“What sorrow awaits Ariel, the City of David. Year after year you celebrate your feasts. (Oh, they are religious!) 2 Yet I will bring disaster upon you, and there will be much weeping and sorrow. For Jerusalem will become what her name Ariel means— an altar covered with blood. 3 I will be your enemy, surrounding Jerusalem and attacking its walls. I will build siege towers and destroy it.

In Isaiah we see God seated on his throne examining the world, judging each nation. Remember chapters 14-24 where he goes through nation after nation, exposing their wickedness and giving his judgement? Each nation called to account. Each nation found guilty. It matters what we do. It matters how we are towards each other and towards God.

You see, God’s sovereignty – his control over everything - doesn’t mean that I’m not responsible for my actions. In fact, it means that I ultimately AM responsible for my actions and will be called to account. I will have to face up to what I have done. God sees right through our little religious duties – when we’re busy sinning over here. He is not fooled by our pretence of niceness at church - when at home we’re angry Dad, shouting at our children and our wife, abusing them with our words or worse our fists.
If we’ve learned just one thing from Isaiah it is that nothing escapes his gaze. He sees everything. Everything.

Because God is sovereign, I will be held responsible for everything I have done.
People often say Oh,l if God’s sovereign that means I’m just a robot, my choices don’t matter. No. Because God is sovereign our choices matter. They have meaning. The Human-etisk forbund says we give our own choices meaning. Really? You just self-validate? “I declare this means a lot!” It’s just a lot of empty words. Because if I can give “meaning” to anything I choose – then my choices don’t matter. I don’t really have a real choice.

Only with a sovereign God do we find human responsibility. Only with a sovereign God do we have real choice, with real consequences.

The whole of this first part of Isaiah, up to chapter 32, is pleading with Israel to make the right choice. Turn away from false religion. Don’t honour God with your lips but your heart is far from him – he’s not fooled by that. Repent! Turn to him. Don’t trust in Egypt to save you – your salvation comes from the Lord. Choose life! Choose him.

Some people call this choice “free will” but that’s a bit of wrong description. Often what people mean by free will is something outside of God’s rule, as in independent from God. And that sounds a lot like rebellion against God – another God. But there is only one. I think the Bible is clear that we do not have “free will” as in independent from God. What God says will happen will happen whether we like it or not. Just like we read the Israelites had a “Bargain to cheat death, but God says in 28:18 “I have cancelled the bargain you made to cheat death”! We do not have free will…but we do have real choice.

Unfortunately, although we are free to choose, we choose what we love. I have free choice between broccoli – or a chocolate. Free choice. But I’ll choose what I love! That’s why we have “free will” – but our will is bound. We can choose whatever we want but we only choose what is evil because we love evil and hate God. Because if we do not love God, who is good, we automatically love evil. Oh ,that doesn’t mean we all walk around cackling and rubbing our hands like villains in a children’s play – it means that we do what WE want to do. We decide what is right.

In the men’s Bible study we talk quite a lot about how annoying it is to be a Christian. How often the Holy Spirit says about our plans, about what we’re about to do, or say, or not do – ahem!. AAARGH. It is so frustrating. I want to do this – but I know it’s wrong. But I WANT TO DO IT! And then you (hopefully) humble yourself and follow the Spirit. Or maybe you don’t, and then you understand why he said don’t do it. When was the last time you sinned and thought “I’m so glad I did that”. It eats away inside of us.

As we’ve read through Isaiah we’ve been exposed. As God reveals the sins of the nations we’re horrified to see the same sins in our own hearts. As God pronounces judgement on them – well Isaiah shows us that we are completely lost. We are in serious trouble. We can’t be good enough to get ourselves out of it. We can’t be religious enough to get out of it. Israel tried it and God says “these people honour me with their lips but their hearts are far from me” (29:13). He’s not fooled!
We can’t follow the law well enough to get out of it. There is nothing we can do to avoid the judgement of God. God’s eyes are like laser beams which cut through any pretence of goodness we throw up and we are exposed. We’re like a deer caught in the headlights of a car - we are exposed, and in real danger.

That’s why when Isaiah sees God (back in chapter 6) what does he say “Woe is me! I am lost! I am destroyed” It’s terror. It’s fear, it’s realising that we are dangling by a thread over the pit of hell. It is the sword of Damocles. Remember the Sicilian legend of Damocles who seated in his position of power and prestige was told by the king to look up – and there above his was a sword held by a single thread of hair. At any moment could plunge down.

God is the only sovereign God – and he is our judge.

3. God is the only sovereign God – and so he can save whoever he wants to

In the midst of all this right judgment – we find amazing mercy. I found it particularly interesting in chapters 14-24 as he goes through the nations, cruel, evil, proud peoples – suddenly offered mercy. Even the Assyrians, known for their brutality – and they were the big threat to Israel at the time – God says that they, Assyria, together with Egypt – Egypt, where they were slaves – will be his people, like Israel. The two big baddies – will be called God’s people. Huh?

But even in these chapters we read of God’ surprising mercy time and time again. We didn’t read this, but look at 29:5 “But suddenly, your ruthless enemies will be crushed like the finest of dust. Your many attackers will be driven away like chaff before the wind. Suddenly, in an instant, 6 I, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, will act for you with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire. 7 All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! Those who are attacking her walls will vanish like a vision in the night.

And again in 30:19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will be gracious if you ask for help. He will surely respond to the sound of your cries.

And as we’ve been reading through Isaiah, we keep coming across this mercy, undeserved mercy, in the middle of all this deserved judgment. And it seems to be focussed on the promise of a child, a child who will rule in justice and mercy. A child born of a virgin, a child called wonderful counsellor, everlasting Father, almighty God. And as we read on we will meet in the second part of Isaiah this child, this person, this King, who is called the suffering servant as he suffers and bears the punishment his people deserve in order to save his people.

Those promises, that hope of mercy, is found in Jesus. He is the child born of the virgin, God’s own Son, come to earth to suffer and die.

You know, there are many ways we can try to escape from God’s judgment – but there is only one sure way. That’s what Isaiah is talking about in chapter 28 – where the Israelites have made a bargain to cheat death. 15 You boast, “We have struck a bargain to cheat death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. The coming destruction can never touch us, for we have built a strong refuge made of lies and deception.” They’ve found a way out, a way to dodge God’s judgement. But God responds 16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. 17 I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away. 18 I will cancel the bargain you made to cheat death, and I will overturn your deal to dodge the grave. When the terrible enemy sweeps through, you will be trampled into the ground. 19 Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away.”

Their shelter is rubbish. Their bargain to cheat death was false. There is only one sure foundation stone. There is only one solid cornerstone. And that is God Himself. And as we read on and see the story unfold, we see that gloriously fulfilled as God fulfils his promises. Yes, you really CAN trust God that he offers a way out of judgement. He can save you. Why? Because he himself came down from heaven, lived on this earth, and gave his life as a cornerstone, a sure foundation which will never be shaken. Jesus is our unshakeable foundation, our sure cornerstone.

So when we in our Bible group moan about God messing up our plans to sin, and when we confess that we have sinned, and when we grumble about how we struggle to get it right – we do it not in terror but in joy. We are not afraid because we are loved. We are not guilty because we have been forgiven. Because we stand not on our own choices and actions – which have already been judged and found guilty – we stand on Jesus’ choices and actions – we’re shielded in him, we stand on his work, his life. And His life has been judged – and found to be perfect. And so we are perfect in Him.

That’s what being a Christian is like. We see the Lord. We are suddenly aware of the terrible danger we are in. That everyone’s in. The signs are everywhere. World is a mess. Our society is self-destructing. But we are oblivious. We are ever seeing, but never understanding….until God reveals himself. And then we are afraid for we are exposed. And we run to him “Woe is me, I am guilty, I am a man of unclean lips among a people of unclean lips!” And then joy of joys he comforts us: do not be afraid, you are forgiven. I have taken your place, I have taken your punishment, I have taken your judgement. I have swapped places with you, and you are righteous.

That is the hope of Isaiah. That is our hope.

1. God is God, and He alone is the sovereign God.

2. God is sovereign and so our choices matter

3. But, oh joy of joys! God is the only sovereign God – and so he can save whoever he wants to