Great. Well, it's a privilege to be here this evening and I'd just like to extend again a warm welcome to you all.
Let me just pray for us as we begin.
God and Father, we thank you that we can meet freely in this country in public and can read your word and can study it.
And we just ask your blessing on it and pray that you'll speak to each one of us.
We pray all this in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
So thank you to Andrew Neller for reading for us.
So we are in Isaiah chapters 28 and 29.
It would be great if you could have it open as we'll be referring to it throughout.
So just as a way of a catch up or an introduction, I'm not sure if you've been following along,
whether you've been in the other series in this, but we're in Isaiah.
So we are about 700 BC. That is the timeline we're at.
The nation of Israel is split into the two kingdoms.
We have the north or Israel.
And in here it is referred to as Ephraim.
Well, it is the capital Samaria that is the focus.
And in the south, we have Judah and we have the capital Jerusalem,
which is called Ariel in this passage.
And Isaiah, you know, he is speaking in this book to the covenant people of God.
He is speaking to the line of Abraham, to God's people.
And, you know, tonight we're going to see a snapshot into what this nation is all about.
You know, it was my cousin's wedding the other week and I was asked to,
she got married 18 months ago, but this was the ceremony.
And I was asked to do a slideshow of our wedding photos for the event.
And, you know, we weren't there, but we got this real insight into what the day was like.
We could see the joy in their faces.
We could see what went on.
And that is what we will have tonight.
We will see this snapshot into the state of the nation.
We see God's people, they are just going through the motions.
They are doing technically what they should be doing.
In many ways, they have their religion.
And yet, God sees the heart.
God sees the motives behind it all.
And there's a lot of things that they're doing that is just plain wrong.
And, you know, it is the state of the leaders of the people that has got them to this point.
And today, we will have a big challenge to the leaders of Christians.
The leaders and the people, well, they were trusting in themselves.
They were trusting in their own wisdom.
They were not relying on God.
And that brings us to the question of what are we trusting in?
Are we trusting in the wisdom of the world?
Are we trusting in our bank accounts?
Are we trusting in our job being secure?
Or are we trusting in other people in relationships?
Or are we trusting in the wisdom of God?
Are we seeking first his kingdom?
So tonight, we have a big passage.
I don't know what you guys are like, but when you read something like this,
and especially Isaiah, for some reason, I just read it and go,
whoa, judgment, judgment.
That's all I can see.
But, you know, we're going to dive in.
And there's many challenges in here, but there's also encouragement.
So we're going to look.
And I want you to keep the lens on the whole time of are we trusting in our own wisdom or in God's.
And we're going to look in four twos.
Hope you're good at math.
Four twos.
So we're going to look at two wreaths.
We're going to look at two promises.
We're going to look at two judgments.
And we're going to look at two worships.
So let's start with the very first verse.
So first of all, two wreaths.
Now, our first wreath is in the very first verse.
Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim's drunkards, to the fading flower, his glorious beauty.
This first wreath is talking about Samaria, the capital of this northern kingdom.
Now, Samaria, it was physically on a hill.
It was physically at this head of this valley, this fertile valley, and actually resembled a crown.
But, you know, it was also regarded as such to the people.
The equivalent today would be, oh, Edinburgh.
Edinburgh's the place to be.
Love Edinburgh.
Edinburgh's great.
That was what was happening here.
But we see in this that there is drunkenness.
There is pride of this as well.
The people here, they had embraced the world.
They had embraced the things of this world.
We see in here the dangers of excess.
The dangers of excess.
You know, this disobedience here has turned this glorious beauty, as said in verse 1 and verse 4,
into a fading flower.
You know, we have these horrible images of tables covered with vomit.
There is not a spot without filth.
I hope you've never seen something like that before.
And you know, Judah is just as bad.
So we have Judah in verse 7, and these also stagger from wine and real from beer.
Judah is just as bad.
And you know, how have they got here?
Well, there has been terrible leadership.
The leaders of the people.
Verse 7 again.
Priests and prophets stagger from beer.
They're befuddled with wine.
They reel from beer.
They stagger when seeing visions.
They stumble when rendering decisions.
That's the leaders of this people.
No wonder the people are in this state.
You know, this chapter 28 here, this really starts a new section of Isaiah where the leadership is challenged.
It's going to be a real challenge for us as people who are leaders of Christians here today.
It's going to be a real challenge these next few chapters.
And you know, Jesus saw this in the Pharisees.
He saw that they were leading their people in a way that wasn't good.
We have in verse 9, there's quotation marks here.
So this is the people speaking.
The leaders speaking.
They say, who is it he is trying to teach?
We're talking about Isaiah.
We're talking about Isaiah's teachings.
Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children wean from milk?
To those just taken from the breast?
For it is do this, do that.
A rule for this, a rule for that.
A little here, a little there.
They are mocking God's teachings.
And you know, they aren't listening.
Verse 12.
To whom he said, this is the resting place.
Let the weary rest.
And this is the place of repose.
But they would not listen.
You know, leadership encouraged particular responsibility.
Don't get me wrong.
The people have followed along.
They're in the wrong here as well.
But the leaders have led them down this path.
And you know, earthly wisdom, it tells us to follow the crowd.
To do what the popular leaders, the strong and mighty,
to follow them.
To do what they would say.
Go with the flow.
That is the first wreath that we see here.
You know, our second wreath couldn't be more different.
We see in verse 5.
In that day, the Lord Almighty will be a glorious crown.
A beautiful wreath for the remnant of his people.
What a contrast.
What a difference.
The Lord Almighty.
And what leadership do we see there?
Well, we see in verse 6.
He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment.
A source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
Justice and strength.
And you know, this crown, this wreath, the Lord Jesus, this does not fade.
The Lord does not fade.
The Lord Almighty.
I was reminded of the hymn lyrics,
I will not boast in anything.
No gifts, no power, no wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection.
Godly wisdom tells us to follow the Lord.
To trust in him and to do as he would have us to do.
What are we trusting in?
What are we boasting in?
So that is our first two.
We've had our two wreaths.
So in our second two, we've got our two promises.
The first promise is found in verse 15.
You boast.
Once again, they are boasting.
You boast.
We have entered into a covenant with death.
With the realm of the dead, we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us.
For we have made a lie our refuge.
And falsehood our resting place.
Our hiding place.
So the historical context here, this covenant of death.
So what this was, was that the people of the southern kingdom, they had made this arrangement with Egypt,
which was a major power of the day, a battling nation.
But the main threat of the day was from the east.
It was Assyria.
Assyria.
And the agreement that the people of Jerusalem had made, the leaders had made,
was that if Assyria was to attack and to defeat the northern kingdom,
then the southern kingdom would be safe because they'd made this pact, this covenant with Egypt.
And you know, they were boasting in it.
But we see in 18 and 19, that although this was a great idea, according to man,
you know, this was a great idea, it seemed the best thing to do.
Why wouldn't you do this?
And yet we see in 18, your covenant with death will be annulled.
Your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by, you'll be beaten down by it.
As often as it comes, it will carry you away.
Morning after morning, by day and by night, it will sweep through.
This earthly covenant was going to fail.
And you know, verse 20, it mocks man-made covenants.
Verse 20, we read,
the bed is too short to stretch out on the blanket,
too narrow to wrap around you.
What's this saying?
Well, it's saying that there's not adequate comfort or protection
in this earthly promise.
It fails to protect.
You know, this was a terrifying message for the people,
the leaders of Jerusalem.
Terrifying.
19b says that at the end of 19,
the understanding of this message will bring sheer terror.
They were trusting in earthly things that were going to fail.
But you know, this is so familiar.
We are also in this precarious position.
If we are trusting in things of this earth,
if we are not trusting in God,
then we have this false security.
We are trusting in things that will fail.
Once again, earthly wisdom, it tells us to trust in human packs,
trust in others, trust in the strong and mighty.
And are we liable to do that,
to put our trust in these things?
And once again, this is contrasted with the promise of Jesus.
So this is our second promise,
the promise of Jesus.
In verse 16,
So this is what the sovereign Lord says,
See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation.
The one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
The cornerstone.
We know that to be Jesus.
We know that.
We can read in 1 Peter 2 verse 6,
if you want to look that up later on,
about the cornerstone.
The promise of Jesus here.
And what is the promise?
Justice.
Righteousness.
You know, this promise of Jesus is sure.
It's not a promise with Egypt.
It is a promise that is guaranteed.
You know, that means that we can truly rest in Christ
if we have put our trust in him.
Not panic like the leaders of Jerusalem.
You can imagine when the northern kingdom falls,
and the leaders of Jerusalem turn and go,
Egypt, now's the time.
And they're not there.
You can imagine the panic.
But we read a sure foundation.
The one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.
What relief,
what joy,
we can have by trusting
in the one who is the cornerstone.
We have that firm security
in him.
You know, God in his wisdom,
he sent Jesus.
God,
Jesus didn't come into this world triumphantly.
He didn't come in
as a king.
He came in weakness
into a manger.
Vulnerable.
Jesus lived a life of humility
and meekness.
And yet through that,
he conquered.
He conquered the grave.
Jesus was risen again from the dead
to show that victory.
Have we put our trust in him?
So we've had our two wreaths.
That's been our two promises.
And now we're going to see two judgments.
Two judgments.
So first of all,
we have a judgment
against God's own people.
So first of all,
the thing to know about judgment
against God's own people
is that it is alien to God.
God doesn't want to have to judge
his own people.
Verse 21,
God doesn't want to have to.
This is an alien thing to God
and yet he has to
because as we saw in verse 12,
they would not listen.
They would not listen.
But you know,
we see God's wisdom
in judgment.
We have this
farming imagery
going on in 23,
so this is still in chapter 28,
but verse 23
down to 29.
And you know,
what we see in here
is that
when it comes to discipline,
God gives us what we need.
but is the gentlest
possible touch.
We see in 24,
when a farmer
plows for planting,
does he plow continually?
Does he keep on
breaking up
and working the soil?
The answer is no.
You know,
the soil is broken up.
It's to give fertility.
It's to allow things to grow.
That is why it happens.
And you know,
sometimes we need
to be made smaller
so that we are
submissive to God
and so that we can be fruitful.
And you know,
during this,
we can take comfort
that God will not push us
beyond where we can go,
beyond what we can take.
If we are facing trials,
it will not be too much for us.
It's not to say
that it's easy,
but God will not push us
beyond what we can take.
In 27 and 28,
it says,
Carraway is not threshed
with a sledge,
nor is the wheel of a cart
rolled over cumin.
Carraway is beaten out
with a rod
and cumin with a stick.
Grain must be ground
to make bread.
So one does not go on
threshing it forever.
However,
the wheels of a threshing cart
may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses
to grind grain.
Now, I'm no farmer
and I take it
you're not either.
So this might be
foreign to us
and it probably is not
even what happens
nowadays.
But what this is
basically saying
is that it's the gentlest
possible way
of getting out
the various grains
or to getting to the point
that it needs to be
in order to be useful,
in order to be
eaten or used.
And that's the comfort
that we can take,
that God uses
the gentlest touch
possible.
And you know,
another encouragement
is that God
places his people
orderly
and he places them
carefully.
If God is using us,
then we see in 25
when he has leveled
the surface,
does he not
sow carraway
and scatter cumin,
does he not
plant wheat
in its place,
barley in its plot
and spelt
in its field?
Now, have you ever
walked past a farmer's
field and just seen
a mishmash of crops,
loads of wavy lines
because the farmer
has not bothered
where he's put them?
No, we don't.
You know, it's quite
a beautiful thing
to see a field
and you see these
straight lines
of all the different crops
and you can walk
through them
because they're planted
so carefully.
You know,
God taught people
to do that
and that's because
God does the same
thing with us.
He has a plan
for each one of us.
He uses us
in different ways.
It'll be different
for each and every
one of us.
So we've seen
God's judgment here,
this first judgment
and we've seen
that his wisdom
and judgment
is perfect.
That leaves us
with the question,
do we trust
in God's plan
even during
a season of trials,
even when it's difficult?
And our second judgment,
so our second judgment
is judgment
against the nations.
So at the start
of chapter 29,
we see the judgment
against Ariel
or Jerusalem
and we have
that I will besiege,
so this is verse 2,
yeah, I will besiege Ariel.
She will mourn
and lament.
She will be to me
like an altar hearth,
so like a,
like a sacrifice.
I will encamp
against you
on all sides.
I will encircle you
with towers
and set up my siege works
against you.
Brought low,
you will speak
from the ground.
Your speech will mumble
out of the dust.
Your voice will come
ghost-like
from the earth.
Out of the dust
your speech
will whisper.
When all seems lost,
the enemy is at the gate.
They've just about
broken in.
They are surrounded.
Jerusalem is surrounded.
The battle is nearly over
and yet what do we see?
Verse 5,
But your many enemies
will become like fine dust,
the ruthless hordes
like blown chaff.
Suddenly in an instant
the Lord Almighty
will come with thunder
and earthquake
and great noise,
with windstorm
and tempest
and flames
of a devouring fire.
God destroys
the enemies
of his people.
God steps in
and saves
his own.
You know,
this was,
comes down
to the near
and far prophecy
that we often see
in prophecy
in the Old Testament.
What that means
is that there's often,
so this was speaking
to the people of Israel
and you know,
so then there was
a near prophecy
which we would
have in our past
but then there was
also a far prophecy
which is still
to come for us.
And you know,
this here was partly
fulfilled
with the attacks
of Assyria and Babylon.
Assyria attacked,
they surrounded
but then they were defeated
but they were not
absolutely destroyed
as we saw in verse 5,
will become like
fine dust.
And so this part
is still to be
completely fulfilled
in the future.
If you're interested,
you can read about that
in Zechariah 14 and 2
and in Revelation chapter 16.
Bit of homework for you
if you fancy it.
And you know,
the dreamers here,
so the dreamers here
are the enemy
of God's people.
We have that these people
are dreaming
and they're,
it's a hungry person
and they're dreaming
of eating
but they wake up
and they are hungry still.
And what this is saying
is that the enemies of God,
they attacked
and yet they were sent back
and it was as if
they hadn't attacked at all.
They achieved nothing.
That is God's judgment
against the nations.
You know,
the world will tell us
that we can do
what we want,
that there's no consequences.
But you know,
God is judge.
Are you ready for that?
God is judge.
So finally,
we've had our,
we've had three twos.
So for those that are good at maths,
this is the last one.
Our fourth two.
We have two worships.
So we've had our two wreaths,
our two promises,
our two judgments,
and now we're going to see
our two worships.
First of all,
the first worship
is empty religion.
We see in 29 verse 1,
add year to year
and let your cycle
of festivals go on.
Add year to year,
let your cycle
of festivals go on.
This is just repetitive religion.
You know,
this is getting to the certain
point of the year
and going,
well,
this is what we do every year
so we will do it again.
You know,
we have that to some degree.
We have Christmas,
we have many services,
we celebrate with family,
same with Easter.
But you know,
the Jewish calendar was full.
You could hardly get by a week
without doing a festival.
They were celebrating things
that had gone on
in Israel's past,
things that God had done
for them.
You know,
these things weren't wrong,
but it was
the thought behind them.
We see that,
you know,
these people were doing
these things,
but this is just before
we see the judgment
that came upon them.
So,
you know,
these repetitive festivals,
they did not stop
God's judgment.
And we see in verse 13
of the complete
and utter
empty worship
of the people.
The Lord says,
these people come near to me
with their mouth
and honor me
with their lips,
but their hearts
are far from me.
Their worship of me
is based on merely
human rules
they have been taught.
These people were doing
the right things.
They were attending
the festivals.
They were
doing the things
they should have done,
but it was just
human tradition.
There was no heart
behind what they were doing.
You know,
this was the epitome
of the Pharisee.
Jesus called out
the Pharisees
in the New Testament
for what they were.
They were just
doing intellectual exercises.
They were doing things
to be seen.
There was nothing
behind what they were doing.
Matthew 15,
if you want to
look at that.
There was no heart
in what the people
were doing.
And you know,
this earthly wisdom
is shown to be
completely useless
before God
in verse 14.
Therefore,
once more,
I will astound
these people
with wonder
upon wonder.
the wisdom
of the wise
will perish.
The intelligence
of the intelligent
will vanish.
Men prefer
their own wisdom.
They prefer
their own way
of doing things.
But before God,
these things
are shown
to be complete
and utter foolishness.
Are we just
making sure
that we're being seen
to be doing
the right things?
Is our Christian life
just a tick-the-box
exercise?
Are we just
talking the right
talk?
But our second
worship,
we see true faith.
Our second
worship is true
faith.
We see
and we can be
so encouraged
that the weak
in earthly terms,
those that are
deaf, blind,
poor, and meek,
they will see
and rejoice.
verse 18,
in that day
the deaf
will hear
the words
of the scroll
and out of
gloom and darkness
the eyes
of the blind
will see.
Once more
the humble
will rejoice
in the Lord,
the needy
will rejoice
in the Holy One
of Israel.
You know,
God uses
those who are
weak in earthly
terms.
the poor
are often
afflicted by
men
and yet
they are
blessed by
God.
We see this
here,
but we see
this throughout
the New Testament
as well.
Those that others
would have
watched straight
by,
God uses
for His
work.
And you know,
true faith,
true worship
of God.
It starts
with a fear
and reverence
of God.
Verse 23,
when they see
among them
their children
the work
of my hands,
they will
keep my name
holy.
They will
acknowledge
the holiness
of the Holy
One of Jacob
and will
stand in awe
of the God
of Israel.
True worship
begins with
the reverence
of God.
Let's have
that appropriate
reverence
for God
which brings
out true
and loving
awe and
worship of
Him
and all
that He
has done
for us.
True faith
rather than
empty religion.
So we've
seen this
snapshot of
the nation.
We've seen
where their
heart is.
We've seen
behind it all.
The people
here,
they had
embraced the
world and
all it had
to offer.
They had
taken things
to the
excess.
They had
made promises
and they had
trusted in
these promises,
these earthly
things that
were going
to fail.
This brought
panic,
this brought
distress
when judgment
came.
This judgment
was necessary
because they
just wouldn't
listen.
And you
know this
was all
brought about
through empty
worship.
They were
technically
doing the
right things
but there
was no
heart behind
what they
were doing.
You know
we've seen
God's wisdom
in these
things.
Isaiah here,
he's writing
because he
wants to
build the
faith of
the people
and he
does that
by showing
them that
they need
to run
to God.
They need
to trust
in God,
not in
themselves
or not
in others.
we can
take
comfort
that if
we are
in a
season of
trials then
God will
not go
beyond what
we can
take.
And God
is looking
for true
faith,
not this
empty
religion,
but true
faith.
That's what
he wants
in his
worshipers.
I'm going
to leave
us by
reading a
New Testament
passage.
It's
actually so
it quotes
verse 14
of chapter
29 in it.
So it's
1 Corinthians
1 if you
want to
look it up.
1 Corinthians
1.
I'm going
to read
verses 18
to 31.
You know
Archie
actually
had a bit
of an
embassy
leaders get
together the
other week
and he
read this
passage to
us as an
encouragement
and as a
challenge.
And I
trust that
it will be
the same
for you
tonight.
So 1
Corinthians
1 in
verse 18.
For the
message of
the cross
is foolishness
to those
who are
perishing
but to
us who
are being
saved it
is the
power of
God.
For it
is written
I will
destroy the
wisdom of
the wise
the intelligence
of the
intelligent I
will frustrate.
Where is the
wise person?
Where is the
teacher of
the law?
Where is the
philosopher of
this age?
Has not God
made foolish
the wisdom
of the world?
For since
in the wisdom
of God the
world through
its wisdom
did not know
him.
God was
pleased to
the foolishness
of what was
preached to
save those
who believe.
Jews demand
signs,
Greeks look
for wisdom
but we
preach Christ
crucified,
a stumbling
block to
Jews and
foolishness to
Gentiles.
But to
those whom
God has
called both
Jews and
Greeks,
Christ the
power of
God and
the wisdom
of God.
For the
foolishness of
God is
wiser than
human wisdom
and the
weakness of
God is
stronger than
human strength.
Brothers and
sisters,
think of what
you were when
you were called.
Not many of
you were wise
by human
standards.
Not many
were influential.
Not many
were of
noble birth.
But God
chose the
foolish things
of the world
to shame
the wise.
God chose
the weak
things of
the world
to shame
the strong.
God chose
the lowly
things of
the world
and the
despised
things and
the things
that are
not to
nullify the
things that
are so
that no
one may
boast before
him.
It is
because of
him that
you are in
Christ Jesus
who has
become for
us wisdom
from God.
That is
our righteousness,
holiness and
redemption.
Therefore as
it is written,
let the one
who boasts
boast in
the Lord.
I just
ask that
God will
bless the
reading of
his word.