Well, through turning your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 33, Isaiah chapter 33, if you're ever to come this evening, we'd love to see you through.
!
Isaiah 33, C.S. Lewis wrote these words about his conversion from atheism to Christianity.
He says, you must picture me alone in that room in Magdalene, the college in Oxford.
Night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted, even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of him, who I so earnestly desired not to meet.
That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me.
In the Trinity term of 1929, I gave in and admitted that God was God, and Nelson prayed.
Perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.
I did not see then what was the most shining and obvious thing.
The divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms.
The prodigal said at least walked home on his own feet.
But who can duly adore that love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in, kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape.
Now whether you or I realize it or not, Lewis is actually speaking for every single one of us.
Because you and I, we all come to God reluctantly.
We all return to God reluctantly.
Because we find it so hard, don't we all of us, to give up control, to give up ownership.
And leisure from our lives.
But you see what C.S. Lewis discovered in this journey.
He speaks of this, divine humility.
Divine humility which accepts a convert even on those terms of reluctance.
That God is always more ready to meet us than we are to meet him.
And that is what we actually find in chapter 33.
If you've been with us in this series, you will know that it's been very evident that the people of Jerusalem,
they run in every direction for their safety, for their salvation, for their security.
They run in every direction that is, apart from the direction which God is in.
And yet, here in Isaiah 33, we are finally pointed to a time when they turn back to God.
Not as the one who is their great fountain of delight and joy of all good, but really to God as their last resort.
And repentance is not a way of life for the people of Jerusalem.
It's a last gasp effort to avoid disaster.
And yet, God humbly receives them.
And one clue to the changing situation for the people of Jerusalem actually comes in verse 1 of verse 23.
Ah, it should be woe.
Woe, you destroyer.
You who have not been destroyed.
You traitor.
Whom none has betrayed.
When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed.
And when you have been finished betraying, you will be betrayed.
If you read from Isaiah 28 onwards, up to this point, you'll have noticed that there were a number of markers along the way.
The ESV really messes this part up.
I can't understand why it doesn't use the word woe in verse 1 of Isaiah 33.
We get six woes in these chapters.
But there's a difference because up to now, all the woes have been about God's people.
They'd be focused on Judah and Jerusalem.
The people of God have been running away from God.
And God has said through the prophet Isaiah, woe to you.
But this one is different.
Because in chapter 1, verse 1, it's addressed to the enemy of God.
To Assyria.
The one who's been destroying Judah is going to be destroyed itself.
The one who's betrayed Judah will be betrayed itself.
And so the tables have turned.
And now the woe is not on God's people, but on his enemies.
And we want to ask, how can God act like that?
How can he accept people who come to him kicking and screaming, who come to him really as a last resort?
And if that is true for the people of Jerusalem, it's true for you and I too.
And so I want us to follow the lead of the passage and you to do four things.
I want us to take the highway, the green cross code, isn't it?
To stop and to look and to listen.
And then to listen again.
To stop, to look and to listen.
And if you look at the chapter, it seems to be addressed to an audience who needs to think about their standing with God.
It starts from the perspective of a people who've come to God as a last ditch effort for rescue.
And they have found that God has humbly and gently received them.
So it tells us that God's attitude to overdo repentance,
His attitude to overdo repentance is actually gracious renewal.
His attitude to overdo repentance, when we come to him late, he is still gracious.
Or we can put it differently.
When God is all we have, we find that God is all we need.
When God is all that we have, we find that God is all we need.
So we need to learn this lesson.
So first of all, let's look at the stop, verses 2-6.
O Lord, be gracious to us.
We wait for you.
Be our arm every morning.
Our salvation in the time of trouble.
As the tumultuous noise, peoples flee.
When you lift yourself up, nations are scattered.
And your spoil is gathered.
As the caterpillars gather.
As locusts leap.
It is left upon.
The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high.
He will fill Zion, His glorious city, with justice and righteousness.
And He will be the stability of your times.
Abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge.
The fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure.
Jerusalem in verse 2 basically says,
Lord, please stop treating us as our sins deserve.
We've stopped trusting in others.
Times have changed.
Finally, the people of Jerusalem have stopped trying to rescue themselves.
And finally, they heed Isaiah's preaching.
And as we saw in chapter 30,
where Isaiah said,
Blessed are all those who wait on Him, who rely on Him.
And finally, they're waiting for God.
But like C.S. Lewis,
they're not moving in this direction in the most eager of ways.
Jerusalem has been threatened, doesn't it,
by the Assyrian Empire.
But God said,
You don't need to worry about that.
I will protect you.
For that isn't tangible enough for the people of Jerusalem.
Other rulers.
That's not the way they see other nations doing international diplomacy.
So they decide,
We've got to do it another way.
We will go to Egypt.
And we will ask them to help us.
And they look to form an alliance with the Egyptians to the south.
But in the end, Egypt lets them down.
And the pressure from Assyria doesn't let up.
So King Hezekiah, the king of Judah, decides,
You know what I'll do?
I'll try and buy Assyria off.
So we actually read in 2 Kings 18,
He takes the money from the temple treasury.
He strips down all the gold from the doors in the temple.
And he hands it all over to the king of Assyria.
To get him off his back.
It's a pretty bad move, isn't it, when you think of it.
Because not only does he treat God as a worthless ally.
But now they make God from his temple pay the bill.
The bill for their disobedience and their disloyalty.
Picture the people of Jerusalem.
As they carry the chests of silver and gold through the gates of the city.
To the Assyrian outpost.
To the command centre at a distance.
And they think, finally, finally we've got some peace from Assyria.
Finally the Assyrians, they will leave us alone.
Finally the siege will be over.
And they watch waiting for the foreign army to pack up camp.
To put its weapons away.
To fold up the tents.
But it doesn't happen.
Because the Assyrians won't go anywhere.
It's a con job.
It's a fix.
And the Assyrians get the money.
And they get the gold.
And then they decide we're going to attack anyway.
And Jerusalem suddenly realises we've given away all our money.
We've given away all our gold.
And we're no better off.
We're in trouble.
And they realise we've compromised ourselves.
We've got nothing out of the deal.
And so they realise they've got nothing left but the grace of God.
They've got nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
And so they're left with their tail between their legs.
And they go to God.
And they can't come back to singing.
Oh we will sing of your love forever.
They don't come back like that with their arms in the air.
Because that would be a lie.
It would be hypocritical.
And they come back to God as their great backup plan.
And they come back as the last resort.
And yet God still receives them.
That even if you.
Even if you this morning.
Even if you have been going everywhere else.
In life.
Looking for your security.
And your identity.
And your worth.
And your salvation.
And now you realise.
I'd be running to all those places.
All my life.
And they can't give me what I'm looking for.
And they won't give me what I'm looking for.
And then you come back to God as your last resort.
He says I'll take you.
You realise you can't save yourself.
You can't fix this.
And how gracious a God am I.
So the people of Israel in verse 2.
They plead with God to be gracious.
We're going to stop trying to fix this ourselves.
We can't fix it.
We're going to try trusting in you.
We need you to be our strength.
That's what he means in verse 2.
Be our arm every morning.
On a day to day basis.
We see your might.
And all you need to do.
Verse 2 Lord.
Is to get up out of your chair.
All you need to do.
In verse 3 sorry.
Is when you lift yourself out of your chair.
Lord.
The nations flee.
We need you.
Because you are the highly exalted Lord.
You are the one who will establish people.
With justice and righteousness.
Now we know Lord.
That all we have is God.
And God is all we need.
That he is our stability.
He is the one who will be our wisdom.
And our salvation.
And our knowledge.
So they say.
All we need to value.
All we need to treasure.
Is the fear of the Lord.
We're going to stop trusting in other things.
We're going to wait on you.
But from that plea to the Lord.
To be gracious.
There's now a call.
To the listener.
And they're told in this call.
In verses 7 tonight.
Behold their heroes cry in the street.
Their edwards of peace.
Weep bitterly.
The highways lie waste.
The traveller ceases.
Covenants are broken.
Cities are despised.
There is no regard for man.
The land mourns and languishes.
Lebanon is confounded and withers away.
Sharon is like a desert.
Bishan, Karno, shake off their leaves.
To the end of verse 7.
There's a second command.
We're told to stop.
And then we're told to look.
That's what behold means.
Look.
Look at the desolation.
Look at what happens when you don't trust in God.
You've got military leaders on one hand.
You've got diplomatic envoys on the other.
You've got the hawks and the dunks.
So to speak.
But they're on their wits end.
They've seen their best laid plans come to nothing.
They're in absolute ruin.
They see that Judah has become a scorched earth.
A scorched earth.
Under a serious fist.
And it's there we're being told.
Aren't we?
Pay attention.
Because what happens.
When you live life without God.
It brings desolation.
Alan Duboton.
Is a British author and a speaker.
And he gave a TED talk.
Called Atheism 2.0.
It's quite interesting to talk when you watch it.
Because he admits that new atheism.
Which is put forward by people like Richard Dawkins.
And others.
Is actually really unwise in its militancy.
Against religion.
So Duboton proposes a new atheism.
Atheism 2.0.
And as he calls it that.
He wants to recognize the positive aspects of religion.
And seek to learn from them.
Here's what he says.
Atheism 2.0 starts with a very simple premise.
Of course there is no God.
Now let's move on.
That's not the end of the story.
That's the very beginning.
I'm thinking of a constituency of people.
Who say.
I can't believe in any of this.
I can't believe the doctrines.
That they are right.
But I really like Christmas carols.
I really like the art of Matanga.
I really like visiting old churches.
I really like turning the pages of the Old Testament.
These are people who are attracted to the ritualistic side.
The moralistic communal side of religion.
But can't bear the doctrine.
And Duboton goes on to stress.
That atheists need to incorporate ritual.
And community.
Into their atheistic lives.
And everything will be so much more rich.
it gives me when you watch that
there's something isn't there of rearranging the chairs
on the Titanic about that
because he's missing the whole point
and yet it's easy to look at Jabotov
and other atheists
and poke holes in the business
but you know the danger
the danger is that some of us would actually live that way too
even coming to IPC
we never call ourselves atheists
but perhaps there's certain aspects
and areas of our lives where we are functional atheists
we like the hymns
we like even the corporate confessions
we like the ritual
we like coming to the church
we like the community
but we really do it all without any reference
or connection to the living God
Jabotov and others
at least have the intellectual integrity
to say no we don't believe in God
some of us would never say that
but functionally that is where we're at
that we're not really trusting God
that we're not really holding on to him
we're not really submitting to him in our lives
and Isaiah says
the consequence of that belief
is desolation
look where that road leads you
look what's coming down the tracks this morning
a life without God
only brings desolation
do you know that?
do you believe that?
look at the midst of the desolation
as the people of Jerusalem
realise all they have to do
is depend upon the grace of God
and they change him
look what happens in verse 10
now
I will arise
says the Lord
now I will lift myself up
now I will be exalted
that when we admit
our disgrace
that when we admit
our defeat
that when we admit
our brokenness
and our disappointment
with ourselves
with how we've acted
and how we've acted
towards others
that is actually
when God
delights to enter in
he resists the proud
but he can't keep away
from the humble
he's saying
when you sink down
to your lowest point
God is saying
now again somewhere
now I can help you
it's completely counter-cultural
isn't it?
that God's prerequisite
for rising to save us
is our admission
of failure and weakness
God's prerequisite
for raising
himself
is our admission
and humbling of ourselves
and lowering of ourselves
that's not just
how you become a Christian
is it?
that is how you continue
to grow as a Christian
that is the life
of a Christian
that is the life
of a Christian church
what is the besetting sin
of Presbyterianism
if I can talk about that
if you don't know what that is
we can talk about it later
but what is the besetting sin
of that?
it is pride
God has been very kind
to this congregation
God has been very very kind
to us as a denomination
in the last few years
and the danger is
we think we've got it
we've made it
we are the people
we must be thankful
that pride is dangerous
the way of a church
that refuses to become
proud and self-righteous
and that is humble
and repentant
and utterly aware
of its constant need
for grace
that we are fragile
fragile
God says
you need to plunge
your failures
into my grace
and then I'll raise you up
now I will rise
so we'll stop trusting
in ourselves
we're to look
and thirdly
in verses 13 to 14
we are to listen
it's very obvious
isn't it
verse 13
here
here you are
far off
like death
and you are near
and acknowledge my might
that sinners in Zion
are afraid
trembling
and seized
the darkness
who among us
can dwell with
the consuming fire
who among us
can dwell with
everlasting burning
now it's the Lord
speaking
and speaking
he says
I want you to listen
and he tells the whole
world to listen
can you see that
verse 13
it's not a parochial
message
it's not just for
Jerusalem
it's not just for
Presbyterians
it's not just for
Christians
it's an appeal
to every person
on this planet
to listen up
and to acknowledge
the power of the Lord
God says
listen
do you see
and hear the effect
of my power
on those who are in Zion
they are shaking
in their boots
because they suddenly
now understand
who they're dealing with
and the one
who they are dealing with
is a consuming fire
and the God of the Bible
is red hot holy
God is a fire
who will burn forever
with consuming intensity
and he says
here is the one
who every single person
must be concerned about
I want all of us
to feel the weight
of this God
this morning
he is a consuming fire
the writer
to the Hebrews
picks up on it
as he instructs us
that we are to
worship God
how are we to
worship God
we are to worship God
acceptably
with reverence
and awe
why are we to
worship God
like that
because he is
the God
of a consuming fire
it's not an
Old Testament God
versus a New Testament
God
that is untrue
this is the God
the Bible presents
from beginning to end
and so the reaction
of the sinners
and the godless
in Isaiah 33
is totally appropriate
they quake in their boots
because they suddenly
understand who God is
this God
who you have come
to worship today
is the same God
that they are fearful of
because they say
who can dwell
with the one
who is a consuming fire
God gives us the answer
in verses 15 and 16
and he says
he who walks righteously
and speaks uprightly
who despises
the gain of oppression
who shakes his hands
lest they hold a bribe
who stops his ears
from hearing of bloodshed
and shuts his eyes
from looking on evil
he will dwell
on the heights
his place of defence
will be a fortress
among the rocks
his bread will be given him
his water will be sure
and not fail him
who can dwell
with the God
who is a consuming fire
that is
who can be
in God's presence
even though
they've got no right
to be in God's presence
God says
it is the one
who does
what is right
in God's eyes
it's the one
who speaks
what is right
in God's ears
it's the one
who acts rightly
to his neighbour
those kind of people
get to dwell
with God
on the heights
those people
can be in the
presence of God
be consumed
and not be consumed
and God says
listen to this
because this
leaves you and I
in a terrible
predicament
in a terrible
situation
and it would
have left
the people of
Jerusalem
in a terrible
situation
because left
to ourselves
we are selfish
beings
like they were
and left
to ourselves
I don't know
about you
but I say
words which
wound and hurt
other people
and left
to ourselves
we treat
each other
very harshly
so the question
is how can I
how can you
how can we
ever dwell
with the
consuming
fire
with the God
who is a
consuming fire
that's the
fire
so God
says stop
look
and listen
but then he
says look
again
verse 17
your eyes
will behold
your eyes
will behold
the king
and his
beauty
they will
see a land
that stretches
far off
your heart
will muse
on the tower
where is
he counted
where is
he weighed
the timber
where is
he counted
the towers
you will
see no more
the insolent
people
the people
of an
obscure
speech
that you
can't
comprehend
stammering
in a tongue
that you
can't
understand
look at
Zion
behold Zion
the city
of our
appointed
feast
your eyes
will see
Jerusalem
an untroubled
habitation
an unmovable
tent
whose stakes
will never
be plucked
up
nor will
any of
its cords
be broken
but there
the lord
in majesty
will be
for us
a place
of bread
rivers
and streams
where no
galley
no warship
with oars
can go
no majestic
ship
can pass
for the lord
is our judge
and the lord
is our law
giver
and the lord
is our king
and he
will save
us
your cords
hand loose
they cannot
hold the
mast
frame
in its
place
or keep
the
sail
spread out
then pray
and spoil
and abundance
will be
divided
even the
lame
will take
the prey
no inhabitant
will say
I am sick
the people
who dwell
there will
be forgiven
their iniquity
what are they
told to look
at
they're told
to look
on the city
of God
on Zion
to look
on the future
Zion
to look
at the future
Jerusalem
the future
world
which will
be completely
peaceful
completely
secure
and it will
be absolutely
protected
from every
enemy
it's another
vision isn't it
from Isaiah
of that world
that's to come
that absolutely
glorious world
that world
that you
and I
yearn for
we say
that is what
we were built
for
the kind
of world
we're seduced
into thinking
that we can
get on by
get to
by running
to the Egypt
of the world
by running
to money
or a certain
relationship
or a certain
job
that will get
me to that
world
but you see
there is a reason
why this sign
is secure
and safe
it's because
as they look
at Zion
they are told
that they see
a person
look at verse 17
they see a king
in his beauty
and the security
of this world
and paradise
all depends
on this king
in fact the mention
of the king
in verse 17
would seem to
indicate
he's the key
to any of us
being able to dwell
in the presence
of the consuming
fire
so the question
is who is this
king he's
talking about
and in verse 22
we're told
the Lord Yahweh
he is the judge
the Lord
given the king
he is the one
who will save us
so we're told
the Lord
who is the king
who is a consuming
fire
is going to
save us
from himself
and how is he
going to do that
well Isaiah
points us
into the direction
of his answer
look at verse 10
now I will rise
says the Lord
now I will
lift myself
up
now I will
be exalted
if you know
the most famous
chapter in Isaiah
it's Isaiah
chapter 53
and Isaiah
uses the exact
same language
of verse 10
to speak of a
particular person
in Isaiah 52
verse 13
it says this
see my servant
will act wisely
he will be raised
and lifted up
and highly exalted
here is Yahweh
here is the Lord
speaking of his servant
his servant
will be raised
and lifted up
and exalted
and the question
is well who is he
well you'll get
there in Isaiah
52
but it is God's
servant
where we're told
he will suffer
it is God's
suffering servant
and amazingly
he's described
in Isaiah 52
in this
suffering servant
who's also a king
the king in all
his beauty
that we look on
in Isaiah 33
and inquiring minds
want to say
how is this servant
king the answer
to our need
how is the king
in all his beauty
going to enable me
to live with this
God who's a
consuming fire
because otherwise
I'm dead
look at verse 24
and no inhabitant
will say I am sick
the people who dwell
there will be
forgiven their
iniquity
the more literal
word there
is born
he will take up
our sins
will be born
ours in the sense
of lifted up
it's the same word
as rest time
and then we find
that word again
in Isaiah 53
the suffering servant
in Isaiah 53
where God says
I will give him
a portion among
the great
and he will divide
the spoils
with the strong
sounds like a king
so he poured out
his life unto death
he was numbered
with transgressions
he bore the sin
of many
he made intercession
for transgressions
it is this servant king
this servant king
who will come
and bear our sins
here is the king
in his beauty
and in his majesty
in holy fire
and as we gaze
upon the king
in his beauty
we see that he has
nail marks
on his hands
and he has nail prints
on his feet
and his side
is pierced
from the sphere
because you see
it is only because
the servant king
poured out his life
unto death
on the cross
that you and I
can now dwell
with the God
who is a consumer
of fire
and the image
of the servant king
now bearing our sin
well we know
don't we
it is rooted
back in the book
of Leviticus
that on the day
of the atonement
of the high priest
among other things
he took into the holy place
two male goats
one goat he would kill
the blood was sprinkled
on the mercy seat
the place of atonement
for our sins
but the priest
would take the live goat
he'd lay his hand
on the goat
he'd confess our sins
over the goat
and then he'd send it away
right into the wilderness
and he carried our guilt
as far as the east
is from the west
as far as it could go
he bore the sins
of his people
and every year
the high priest did that
every year
he repeated that
why?
well because
a goat
can't take our sin
it's pointing you
forward
to the one
who would be
taken away
outside the city wall
to a green hill
far away
without a city wall
because he's been
taken outside
as it were
into the wilderness
he dies in Canaan
and the Lord Jesus
is taken out of the city
to bear our sins
it's significant
it's pointed to the one
on the cross
who'd bear our sin
away as far as
east is from the west
so far as he removed
his transgression
from us
and that is the only way
that you and I
can survive
the consuming fire
it's also the way
that you and I
can dwell
in the consuming fire
if I can put it on that
it's a fire
which won't burn up
but a fire
that gives us life
and so the servant
comes to die for us
as such
that the Zion
of the king
becomes the dwelling
place of his people
the invitation
this morning
is to put all your sins
on the suffering king
so that you and I
this morning
even if we are coming
to him as a last resort
even if you're here
this morning
and you think
I don't know
where to turn
I might as well
go to church
if you're here
as a last resort
God welcomes you
he welcomes you
to the place
where one day
all of us
will one day say
I am not tired
I am not ill
I won't have a cold
wouldn't it be amazing
if it's verse 24
doesn't that drive you nuts
about London
how are you
busy
how are you feeling
tired
we used to ban that
in our house group
but look at verse 24
and no inhabitant
will say I am sick
you'll never say
I am tired
in the new creation
you'll never say
I am too pretty
whatever your burdens
or sicknesses
in that place
he says to you
you will not say
those words anymore
because our sins
have been borne
by Jesus
the servant king
in the film
the iron lady
it's about Margaret Thatcher
the former power minister
and in the film
Thatcher is asked
by her doctor
how do you feel
she's at the end
of her life
at the end of
how do you feel
here's her reply
people don't think
anymore
they feel
it's very clever
one of the problems
of our age
is that we are
governed by people
who care more
about feelings
than they do
about thoughts
and ideas
the Bible wants
you to feel
does want you to feel
but the Bible
calls you to think
and the danger
for some of us
and the danger
for some of our
friends is we just
go straight to our
feelings
and Isaiah says
I want you to think
Isaiah says
I want you to stop
and I want you to
listen
and I want you to
look
and I want you to
look again
and I want you to
process this
because your eternity
hangs on this
the TED talk
that I cited earlier
TED's strapline
is this
it's ideas worth
thinking about
about watching
about considering
but this is the
ultimate idea
isn't it
this is the idea
that you've got
to have an answer
for
CS Lewis did
and you and I
have to
to think
and to look
and to listen
over and over again
and to realise
that when God
is all that we have
God is all
that we need
when God
is all that we have
God is all
we need
because what we need
is a servant king
and we have him
in the person
of the Lord Jesus
let's pray
God