In 2012, during the London Olympics, we kept hearing these words, I don't know whether you remember them.
! The eyes of the world are on you, London. I don't know if I was going to repeat it ad nauseum.
The eyes of the world are on you, the world is watching.
The key show was the London Olympics, when the attention of the world was riveted, wasn't it, on the city in which we live for several weeks.
One city was in the news every day, and everyone saw it. That was all the time.
There have been times when Baghdad, the eyes of the world have been on Baghdad. Mosul, Aleppo, Paris, Sydney.
The eyes of the world are on a certain city. And we're either watching in delight or horror.
It takes, doesn't it, something of a massive scale for the eyes of the world to turn onto a city.
But it can happen. And it happens in Isaiah 60. It's a world city in Isaiah 60, taking the center stage.
Not just in the world, but the eyes of the universe are on this city.
I don't know how you feel about London. We should feel proud of our city, isn't it?
Most of us are migrants. We've come here from somewhere else.
But some of you were bored and bred here. Some of you have never lived anywhere else.
It's a wonderful thing. And I hope we feel proud of our city.
When you're tired of London, you are tired of life.
Alright?
And when people say, living in London, the problem isn't London.
When you move somewhere else, I assure you, the problems will follow you there.
The problem isn't the city.
Some of us might feel London's awful. We don't like it.
Some of us might feel it's glorious.
Some of us might feel like it's a place like nowhere else on earth.
We wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
But God has a city.
Here in Old Testament Jerusalem.
Zion.
And God is more proud of Zion
than we know.
He has more love for Zion
than you have for your home city.
Because it's where his people live.
And he loves his people.
And it's where he shows himself to be king of the world.
And you can see what he says.
He says, I want the eyes of the world
to look on my city.
You, my people.
Let's start with you.
Look at my city.
Verse 2.
For behold, which means stop what you're doing
and look.
Verse 4.
Lift up your eyes all around.
Look about you.
God says.
Being a pastor is a privilege.
Being a preacher is a great delight, usually.
But sometimes you reach parts of the Bible
which are so sublime.
And there's a description of the future
that actually only poetry is adequate.
And I have a simple prayer for this morning.
It's Psalm 19.
That the Lord's right precepts
will give joy to your heart.
And his radiant commands
will give light to your eyes.
So here's four ways that God wants to give us that.
Number one.
A world in darkness,
but a city a light.
A world in darkness,
but a city a light.
You've seen him here on great sporting occasions
when it starts and the credits start to roll
and everywhere is in darkness
apart from the illuminated stadium.
We've all seen that if we watch sport.
And there's something like that here.
A world in darkness,
but a city a light.
What do you do
when you look around this room this morning?
What do you see?
What do you see when you look around this room?
Some of us have sunny dispositions.
Others of us less so.
Some of us know
what it is to go through dark nights.
To know the black dog of depression.
We know, don't we, about thick darkness.
But of course,
the picture here in Isaiah 60
is a picture of moral blackness.
Things are bad out there.
And they're bad out there for Israel,
for Jerusalem.
For this city,
life was grim.
Do you remember?
The eyes of the world
are on this one city,
but the city's in big trouble.
And we've learned that all the way through Isaiah.
Here we are in chapter 60,
nearly at the end.
And we can say,
when people ask us,
what is it?
What is this book about?
We can say to them,
it is about how the faithless city
can become the holy city.
Isaiah is about how the whore
can become the bride.
It's a city in darkness and blackness.
And so I want you to see something,
Isaiah says.
I want you to look at something.
I want you to notice,
yes, you're in a city in trouble.
Yes, you live in a world in trouble.
Darkness covers what?
Jerusalem,
Zion,
now the whole earth.
And thick darkness is over the peoples.
That means all the nations.
God's people,
whether they're getting it right
or when they're getting it wrong,
always live in a world
that is getting it wrong
and that is lost
and that is dark.
The Apostle John says,
men love darkness
instead of light
because their deeds are evil.
We all know this.
Some of us live with this all the time,
don't we?
Death has arrived far too soon
in our homes.
There's a kind of despair
that just won't lift.
Life hasn't worked out
or isn't working out
the way that we thought it would.
Our home
is not the place
that we thought it would be.
In fact,
it's not even our home.
World affairs
and local news
on any given day
can sometimes be more
than you can bear.
So what is God's solution?
What does God have for us?
For the earth,
his earth,
the peoples of the world.
What is he going to do
about the darkness?
Do you see Isaiah's answer?
Isaiah's answer is,
verse 1,
he's going to set his city alight.
He's going to turn the lights on.
Look at this,
it's very important.
He's not going to turn the lights on
everywhere.
But in one place,
in one place,
he'll turn the lights on.
We want global solutions,
don't we?
What's the answer?
To world hunger,
world poverty,
world injustice.
Okay, fine.
God has an answer
to world darkness
and it is in one place
and in one location.
His city,
arise,
shine,
for your light has come,
Jerusalem.
The glory of the Lord
has risen upon you,
O Zion.
So should we go to Heathrow?
Should we get on a plane
and travel there?
It would be wonderful,
wouldn't it,
to go to the city?
Is that what Isaiah's
talking about?
Everybody get on,
walking where Jesus
walked in Jerusalem.
I've never been to Jerusalem,
I'm told.
But the sunrise
over Mount Olives
when it comes up
in the east
and then it falls
on the city below,
they say it's a stunning sight.
Light floods,
walls and gates,
domes,
towers,
homes,
they're all bathed
in glorious light.
You've seen the pictures
like I have.
Tourists go,
don't they,
and marvel at it today.
There's got to be
something more than that.
It has to be.
This is the Lord
himself
rising
over Zion
like the sun.
So look,
Isaiah says,
what I'm about to show you,
yes,
is Zion,
but it is Zion
as a picture
of the new creation,
of what I'm going to do
at the end of time.
That's what we're
looking at here.
This is the kingdom
of God
come down to earth.
This is
John's vision
in Revelation
chapter 21
and 22
of a new Jerusalem
given to us
in advance.
So when that day
comes,
when we get there,
when we see
the glory of the Lord
covering his world
in light,
here's what we'll see.
Three great more
shafts of light.
We'll see,
secondly,
a world at peace,
a family enriched.
A world at peace,
a family enriched.
2nd verses 3 to 5.
And nations,
shall come to your light.
And kings,
to the brightness
of your rising.
Lift up your eyes
all around and see.
They all gather together.
They come to you.
Your sons shall come
from afar
and your daughters
shall be carried
on the hip.
Then you shall see
and be radiant.
Your heart shall shrill
and exult
because the abundance
of the sea
shall be turned to you
and the wealth
of the nations
shall come to you.
The end of the world
will mean
the end of war
and the beautiful growth
of God's family.
The whole idea
starts in verse 3.
And you see it?
Nations and kings
will come to God's city.
But they're not coming
to make war.
In the ancient world,
kings travelled
for two reasons only.
And the two reasons
were,
number one,
to pay tribute
or to make war.
To pay homage
or to increase
their territory.
And so while the kings
are on the move,
just get a feel of it.
They've left their sons,
their swords at home.
The nuclear codes
have been forgotten.
Trident is finished.
The guns have fallen silent.
Make no mistake about it.
Here is huge military traffic.
But it's all for peace.
It's all for peace.
Verse 5,
the wealth
and the riches
of the nations
are coming in.
They're coming in
on the battleships
of the seas.
But there's no planes.
No aircraft carriers.
Verse 6,
they're bringing out
animals.
They're bringing gold
and incense.
Verse 11,
look,
these kings,
they are not coming
in pride and aggression
but they are being led,
verse 11,
like lambs
in a triumphal procession.
Look how clear it is
in verse 17.
The middle of verse,
at the end of verse 17,
I will make your overseers
peace.
And your taskmasters
righteousness.
Violence should be no more
heard in the lamp.
Devastation or destruction
within your borders.
You shall call your walls
salvation
and your gates
praise.
Here's why this is beautiful.
It is beautiful
because
a world of peace
is matched
all the way through
this chapter
with a family of one.
A family restored.
A family reunited.
Is there anything
more wonderful
for parents
than that day
when the children
who've been abroad
and they've been
away from you
and they're not
within reach
or sight
and they come home?
And they come home.
This is a family
enriched.
Look at verse 4.
Lift up your eyes
all around and see
and they all gather together.
They come to you.
Your sons
from afar
and your daughters
shall be carried
on the hip.
This might have a literal
meaning.
Those sons and daughters
have been carried off
into exile
and they're brought
back home
to Jerusalem.
They come through
the doors
of the terminal
and the family
are there
and they run
to each other
and embrace
oblivious
that the rest
of the world
is there
because there's
such joy.
Look at verse 9.
For the coastline
shall hope for me
the ships of Tarshish
first
to bring your children
from afar
to sell them
on their gold
with them
for the name
of the Lord
your God
and for the Holy
Man of Israel
because he's
made you beautiful.
Tarshish is likely
Spain.
It's not a place
that sons and daughters
were ever carried
off to exile.
No, it's better
to see this
as saying
at the end of time
the world is reborn
in glory
in a new creation
and every believer
will stream
into the heavenly
Jerusalem
as a son
and daughter
in Zion.
You see
because Isaiah
is talking about
the end of time
this is the
great fulfillment
of the promise
to Abraham
Genesis 12
and 15
and 17
through you
Abraham
all the nations
of the earth
will be blessed
and I will make
your descendants
as numerous
as the stars
in the sky
and I will make
your offspring
like the dust
of the earth
so that if anyone
could count the dust
then your offspring
could be counted.
Do you see it here?
God is keeping
his great promise
to Abraham
and here they come
in Zion
verse 9
sailing in on their ship
and all the islands
of the earth
bring Zion's sons
and Zion's daughters
and brothers
and sisters
and when we see
that at the end
when we see men
and women
from every tribe
and every tongue
and every people group
and when we see
paupers and princes
and lepers
and lords
and kings
and queens
pour through
Zion's gates
how will we feel?
about a couple
of years ago
I started to use
a line
when I preached
at a wedding
and I speak
to the husband
about his new wife
and I tell him
to put children
in her arms
and light
in his eyes
people love it
it's a great line
I should copyright it
children in her arms
and light
in her eyes
don't you love
I love the picture
can you just see it
with me
in verse 4
that picture at the end
and daughters
shall be carried
on the hip
you see the new mums
after the service
you see them
coming to church
it's a wonderful sight
it's wonderful
to have children
in worship
absolutely wonderful
and children
on their mother's hip
it's a picture of joy
and when you see that
how do you feel?
look at verse 5
then you shall see
and be radiant
your heart shall thrill
and exult
because the abundance
of the sea
shall be turned to you
the wealth of the nation
shall come to you
it puts light
in your eyes
it's that kind of joy
isn't it?
that's what God
has promised you
if you are in Christ
that's what God
has promised us
as the people of God
we this morning
we meet as Zion's
sons and daughters
we're marching to Zion
beautiful
beautiful Zion
come we that love the Lord
and let our joys be known
we're marching
to Emmanuel's land
we are her foreign children
you're not a Jew
you
and one day
we will enter her
always
never to be shut out
always safe
never dangerous
and we will look around
at more children of Zion
than we can ever count
and there will be Abraham
our great
great
great grandfather
with his millions
of spiritual children
all around him
maybe you've never
known a family reunion
maybe your family
is the kind of family
where war breaks out
and it's possible
that for some of us
we've not known joy
like this within our
four walls
and Isaiah says
just wait
because it's coming
and maybe you know
the joy of this
or you've known it
mothers and fathers
and you come back home
your children come back home
and you love it
end of term
they're coming home
soon
and you can't wait
you can't wait
to have them back again
and there's that throbbing
swelling joy
as you heard them
and Isaiah is saying to us
can we see the light
can you feel
the glory of God
breaking upon us
warfare is past
harmony
family forever
but there's another
sharp of light here
a world in reverse
and a people enthroned
a world in reverse
and a people enthroned
the chapter is all about
a great reversal
in fact it's about
several great reversals
Isaiah is so skillful
at using reversals
so in Isaiah 16
I don't know whether
you noticed it
as I read it
everything is going
in reverse
it's going
in the opposite direction
from what we think
it would
so here are people
flocking to the city
and they are
thronging to it
and the nations
are coming to Zion
it's the main type
of verb
in the chapter
they are bringing
they are coming
they are traveling
they are gathering
they are processing
and look
it's not God's people
opening wide the gates
to go out to the world
it's the world
coming to them
you see that
it's the world
coming to their city
it's like a pilgrimage
in reverse
I don't know
whether you remember
seeing the
pictures of
Iraqi special forces
kind of bit by bit
advancing on Mosul
and they are trying
to take it back
from IS
I can't remember
the numbers
was it 20,000
or 200,000
a staggering number
of people
that were trapped
in that city
and as the army
arrives
what did they do
as the army arrives
what did they do
they flee the city
fled the city
this long line
snaking off
into the distance
over the horizon
that's what we are
familiar with
aren't we
we are familiar
with people
fleeing the city
on the run
a massive refugee
crisis all over
the world
people fleeing
but here Isaiah says
at the end of time
we will see the biggest
refugee community
the world has ever seen
as thousands
upon thousands
flock to the New Jerusalem
but it's not the only reversal
what's the real surprise here
the true back to front
new world order
did you notice that
it's that not only
are the nations
going against the flow
and now they are
travelling to Zion
but they are bowing
low before God's people
the kings of the earth
come to God's people
and the kings of the earth
come to God's people
and they lavish them
with gifts
and they bow low
before them
look at verse 7
all the flocks of Kedah
shall be gathered to you
the rams of Nebaoth
shall minister to you
they shall come up
with acceptance
on my altar
and I will beautify
my beautiful house
verse 10
foreigners
shall build up your walls
and their kings
shall minister to you
for in my wrath
I struck you
but in my favour
I have had mercy upon you
verse 14
the sons of those
who afflicted you
shall come
and bend in low to you
and all who despise you
shall bow at your feet
and they shall call you
the city of the Lord
the Zion
of the Holy One of Israel
former top dogs
now take second place
who is the royal title
now in this new world
Queen Elizabeth
is it Robert Mugabe
who wins here
in the end
the dictator
or the dictator
look at verse 15
whereas
you have been forsaken
and hated
with no one passing through
I will make you majestic
from ever
a joy from age to age
do you see the reversal
God's people are now enthroned
God's people are now
given
royal stated
and the nations
bow low
you are a royal priesthood
make no mistake
here
the nations are not
forced into it
this is what the nations
want to do
verse 9
they bring their wealth
and honour to the Lord
look how homely it is
verse 8
these great mighty warrior kings
coming to Zion
they are like
verse 8
doves
doves coming over to the windows
to their nest
they're coming home to roost
and they're coming back to where they belong
under God's wing
and as they get there
they find this little tiny church
down the road
that no one hardly ever knew existed
and there was Mr and Mrs Jones
who prayed
and gave
and served
and out of that church
some went to world mission
and Mr and Mrs Jones
prayed
and lived
very ordinary lives
there they are
with the wealth of Saudi Arabia
brought in through the door
and because missionaries
went to Saudi Arabia
with the gospel
there are some of the
royal rulers of the kingdom
bowing low
before Mr and Mrs Jones
who prayed for those missionaries
and gave to those missionaries
and they say
this is Zion
this is God's city
your God is
our God
how do we know
it's true
how do we know
the nations will do this
how do you know this
well we've seen it already
what did you make of verse 6
is it too early for Christmas
verse 6
a multitude of camels
shall come
even the young camels
of Midian and Ephra
all those from Sheba
shall come
and they shall bring gold
and frankincense
and bring good news
the praises
of the Lord
we three kings
of Orient are
one in a bus
one in a car
we bear gifts
we travel from afar
except there were three
weren't there
well actually we don't know
how many wise men were there
I quite like to think
there were 300
there may have been 30
there may have been 3
there may have been
who knows
but what happened
is that the kings
of the earth
brought gold
and frankincense
and myrrh
for the Lord
let's get this
what happened there
for the Lord
of heaven and earth
lay in a manger
and the greatest
on earth
I would low
before the least
of the earth
kings
before a baby
I hope you believe it
with all your heart
and so that when you
watch the news
and when you lead
your tiny little
bible study group
and when you attend
a house group of 6
or you speak in a
conference of 600
when you teach the bible
to children
or you preach to 500
when you get the news
of Relief International
or the Barnabas Fund
or Asher's Bakery
or missionaries
in Japan
like I did this week
that mighty vast nation
that slumbers
all in darkness
and the church
is too small
and the people
are too weak
or you get the news
of pastors imprisoned
in Iran
and Korea
I hope you believe
with all your heart
that one day
one day
the reversal is coming
the world
will flow backwards
and the sons
of our oppressors
will come bowing
to us
I want to give us
a very particular
application about this
this morning
I'll come back to it
in the last point
but I want to finish
with this last point
what does it mean
that the world
will flow backwards
everything will be
turned upside down
and fourthly
a world in eternity
God in our midst
if the end of the world
will see the world
flow backwards
and kings will serve servants
and the homeless
will eat at the royal table
and the persecutor
will bow before
the persecuted
if the world
will go into a reverse
if those things happen
then Isaiah says
it's even as if
time and creation
will flow backwards
into God
so Isaiah teaches us
doesn't he
that the very things
that God gives us
to mark time
and seasons
to separate
night and day
they'll just be turned off
they'll not be
these anymore
because in verse 19
the Lord himself
will be our light
and God will be
with us
and on every side
we will see his glory
and it's as if
everything will go back
to how it was meant
to be in the beginning
only better
yes it will be Eden
but it will be better
than Eden
for in the beginning
there was a garden
and there was
a sun and a moon
in the sky
but now at the end
there will be a city
and instead of Adam
and Eve
verse 22
there will be a thousand
mighty nations
of people
on every hand
and we will live
forever in the perfect
world with God
himself in our midst
and your days
of sorrow will end
and your days
of sorrow will end
what was the sorrow
that this was
for the people
in Isaiah's day
do you remember
what their sorrow
was well it was
oppression wasn't it
it was verse 14
scorn
verse 15
injustice
think of chapters
58 to 59
sorrow for sin
think of chapter 57
it will be all over
so let me give you
two applications
for this week
some of us
have seen enough
and lived long enough
to know that sorrow
seems to be on hand
on every side really
I went to see someone
last week
and they said to me
it seems like my friends
are being picked off
one by one
Derek Kidner
is one of my favourite
commentators
he was a wonderful
godly
humble
Old Testament scholar
late in life
he wrote about
the general
desolations
of old age
he said
not only may the
light of the faculties
and the senses
begin to fade
but so too
the warm glow
of old friends
familiar customs
and long held hopes
age
steals each away
he wrote
all this will come
at a stage
when there is no
longer the resilience
of youth
or the prospect
of recovery
to offset it
in one's early years
and the greater part
of life
troubles and illnesses
are chiefly setbacks
not disasters
one expects
the sky to clear
eventually
it's hard to adjust
to the closing
of that long chapter
to know that now
in the final stretch
there will be no
improvement
the clouds
will always gather
again
and time will
no longer heal
but kill
but Isaiah says
there will come a time
when your sun
will never set
again
and your moon
will wane
no more
and the Lord
will be your
everlasting light
and your days
of sorrow
will end
and here's an
application for all
of us
let's never forget
this
that one day
everything will go
backwards
one day the nations
will come to us
but until then
and we have to get
this right
we go to them
until the end
until the new creation
we go to them
until this day
friends
until the daylight
breaks
and the shadows
flee away
and the glory
of the Lord
covers the earth
until we get there
we board airplanes
we kiss our
families goodbye
we take our
children
God willing
to the ends
of the earth
to serve the gospel
to Afghanistan
to Pakistan
to Iran
here's how it works
because people
go to them
because the
cabins
Joe and Fred
will go to
North Africa
because Ian
and Heather
Jones
will go
to Burkino
Faso
because Jose
Segorio
will go
to Madrid
because they
go
one day
the nations
will come
and maybe
this morning
you never
thought that
world mission
was for you
but it is
going
or giving
or praying
because you
wonder what
will really
come of it
and look
says God
here it is
if you go
look who
comes
and so maybe
Japan that I
read of this
week will
one day
become like
China
and maybe
the
cavils
as they
go to
North Africa
and everyone
that they
have worked
with will
be dead
and gone
but the
joy of
generation
after generation
of North Africans
will be the
glory of the
Lord who
knows
did you
know that
the same
Rome that
crucified the
Lord Jesus
Christ in the
first century
AD
bowed the
knee to him
in the
fourth century
AD
when
Constantine
declared
himself a
Christian
where will
you be this
time tomorrow
five past
twelve
in office
in school
room
with your
children
well we can
share the
gospel can't
we with
confidence
and with
joy
does IPC
have a
future
well Isaiah
blows the
doors off
doesn't he
about what
we think of
time scales
and measuring
devices
because no
one has a
future
like the
people of
God
no one
has a
future
for those
who belong
like those
who belong
to Zion
for this
city
forsaken
hated
ignored
this city
will one
day be the
joy of the
whole earth
amen