WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.200 We're going to return back to the passage that we read together in Isaiah chapter 35. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:11.599 It comes after a couple of pretty heavy chapters. 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:18.480 In fact, we've been looking at a lot of heavy chapters, at least in sections. 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:28.719 Sections and passages about judgment and about God coming to His own people and also 00:00:28.719 --> 00:00:37.039 to the nations around about with His sovereign power in acts of judgment. 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:43.840 So how would you speak to an unbeliever about the day of judgment, or the day of vengeance, 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:49.120 as it's spoken of here? Or even how do you speak to an unbeliever, especially today, 00:00:49.120 --> 00:00:54.960 who might not have a background in the Bible and in the truth of the Bible? How would you speak to 00:00:54.960 --> 00:01:02.079 an unbeliever about judgment and about even eternal life, which is a slightly more positive concept? 00:01:03.920 --> 00:01:08.400 Because we've been dealing a lot with judgment in the book of Isaiah thus far, 00:01:10.319 --> 00:01:15.680 and it can be tough reading. It can be tough reading for as even as Christians as we look at it. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:25.280 And chapters 33 and 34 speak further about judgment and judgment on Edom, 00:01:26.320 --> 00:01:34.640 and that really symbolizes and pictures final judgment. And then we come to this passage here, 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:44.879 which speaks about also judgment in the, within the reality of redemption, and we'll come to it in a minute. 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:53.359 But it's important for us to remember that some truth is just plain difficult. It's just hard, 00:01:54.079 --> 00:02:02.480 because God is God, and we are not. It's not that we come to God and bargain with Him about what's 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:08.560 good truth or what is acceptable truth, because then He ceases to be God, and He's simply a 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:15.680 product of our own imagination. If God is God and God is real, as we believe, 00:02:15.680 --> 00:02:22.080 then we need to remind ourselves that we are not. And it's impossible for us to truly grasp His 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:31.199 holiness. We attempt and we have, God gives His eyes to see a little bit, but we can't really 00:02:31.199 --> 00:02:39.599 grasp His holiness, His purity, His perfection. We certainly don't grasp the depth of our own 00:02:40.239 --> 00:02:48.399 darkness and rebellion and the condition of our own hearts in relation to God, nor can we really 00:02:48.399 --> 00:02:56.799 grip and grasp eternity. You find eternity a bit mind-blowing, the idea, a bit scary even. I certainly 00:02:56.800 --> 00:03:05.760 do. It's a difficult concept for us to understand. And the natural, all of us naturally, are unable 00:03:05.760 --> 00:03:10.640 to understand these concepts. We need faith and we need prayer and we recognize that, and that's 00:03:10.640 --> 00:03:17.840 important. But some truth is plain hard. But also we need to recognize as we deal with these issues 00:03:19.200 --> 00:03:26.720 that everybody wants wrongs to be made right. We know that. Maybe, of course, on our own terms, 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:35.360 and we see it increasingly today as absolute truth is pushed to the side and it becomes much more 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:43.599 relativistic. We see it in its extreme, in its extremity, in the victim culture, where everybody 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:52.400 wants to blame other people for their reality and their lives. Some of it is real and some of it is 00:03:52.400 --> 00:04:01.759 good, some of it's important, but it can go to very unhelpful extremes. But we do know, everybody 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:10.000 knows that things are wrong in us, things are wrong to us, and things are wrong in the world. 00:04:12.480 --> 00:04:19.280 There is an inherent, even if it's broken, there's an inherent sense of justice within people. 00:04:19.279 --> 00:04:30.719 And that leads to the reality that deep down, every single person knows that there's a judgment day. 00:04:31.839 --> 00:04:37.279 Everybody knows there's a judgment day. It may be deeply suppressed to the point of it not being 00:04:37.279 --> 00:04:44.639 recognized. It may be rejected. People may be fearful of it, but it is down there somewhere 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:51.439 in every living soul. I mean, Romans 1 speaks to us about that. And I think it helps explain the 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:57.039 irrational hatred that people have towards Christianity or towards the gospel, which does 00:04:57.039 --> 00:05:06.479 often seem entirely irrational. There's a fear behind that irrational rejection. But the reality 00:05:06.479 --> 00:05:14.319 of judgment is a shadow that lies behind the need for everyone to be accepted, to have a sense of 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:24.719 worth, to have a sense of value, or the desire for achievement. I often think of that great film, 00:05:24.719 --> 00:05:29.120 I probably use it, I do have many illustrations, you know that, if you've been here for 22 years. 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:36.800 I kind of use the same ones, sorry, I use the same ones quite a lot. And maybe I'm not supposed to use 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:44.960 that one. But it's from a great film, Saving Private Ryan, where you know that there's a group of guys 00:05:44.960 --> 00:05:51.199 that have to go into the front line to save this private because four of his brothers have been 00:05:51.199 --> 00:06:00.400 killed in action. And the president of the United States commissions this group to go and take Private 00:06:00.399 --> 00:06:07.599 Ryan out of the war in Europe back to his mother, because he's the only remaining son. And of course, 00:06:07.599 --> 00:06:15.919 in the course of that expedition that they have, a number of them are killed. And the captain of 00:06:15.919 --> 00:06:21.120 that small group, Captain Miller, is dying on the bridge near the end of the film. And Private Ryan 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:30.159 is with him. And as he's dying, he says to Private Ryan, earn it, earn it. And of course, at the end 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:36.800 of the film, Ryan himself is an old man. And he's at the grave of Captain Miller. And he says, 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:43.200 every day, I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. I tried to live my life the best 00:06:43.200 --> 00:06:50.640 that I could. I hope it was enough. I hope that at least in your eyes, I've earned what all of you 00:06:50.640 --> 00:06:58.640 have done for me. That sense of being accountable, of being judged for the kind of life he lived. 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:03.279 And I think, however it's expressed, people have that recognition. 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:10.560 And yet it's a difficult thing to talk about, because we're already surrounded by a lot of 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:16.159 depressing news all the time, even though we have much as Christians, and as people, 00:07:16.159 --> 00:07:22.399 Christians are not, to be thankful for. But the truth of God's Word, no one would make this up, 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:29.439 is that actually, there's worse to come. There's worse to come than the depressing news that we 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:38.560 recognize and see all around us. We recognize in chapter 34 verse 8, for the Lord has a day of 00:07:38.560 --> 00:07:51.199 vengeance, a year of recompense. And there is worse to come. For the Jews that Isaiah was writing for, 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:59.680 there was worse to come. There was a Syrian aggression, and there was captivity in Babylon. 00:07:59.680 --> 00:08:05.680 There was worse judgment, historically for them to come. But all of this judgment, all of this 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:14.319 involvement of God in their lives was also pointing forward to the God who will finally judge every 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:22.879 act, every thought that's imperfect, every selfish and sinful and dark and evil reality. It's a judgment 00:08:22.879 --> 00:08:28.959 that reaches into our hearts, as well as externally to the nations in the world in which we live. 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:38.799 His perfect justice, His holy justice, His holy wrath leaves no one on our own able to stand, 00:08:38.799 --> 00:08:47.199 on our own able to stand, and ushers us into an unimaginable desert existence. And that's 00:08:47.199 --> 00:08:54.079 from much of the imagery in Isaiah. It's about fruitfulness and about desert. It's about the 00:08:54.079 --> 00:09:00.000 garden and it's about the wilderness. And that illustration is used throughout the book to 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:08.320 highlight the difference between being under God's wrath and being under God's salvation. 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:16.960 It's the withdrawal of His eternal and beautiful love to those who reject Him. It's very solemn. 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:22.639 It's a very solemn reality that we often choose not to think about in our lives. 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:26.799 How do we know this? How do we know this reality for us? 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:32.879 As I mentioned earlier, we recognize and know it by faith because we believe 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:38.719 God's own claims. We believe God's own claims about His Word and what He says. We believe 00:09:38.719 --> 00:09:45.439 that Bible is God breathe and it speaks truth to us. And we know that much of it in Isaiah has been 00:09:45.439 --> 00:09:52.000 heavy, judgment and salvation. And much of us, and much of the time we'd rather avoid it. It's 00:09:52.000 --> 00:10:01.440 about like a niggling pain you might have in your body. You kind of fear the worst. But you choose 00:10:01.440 --> 00:10:07.600 to put off going to the doctor because you don't want to hear what might be extremely bad news. 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:14.720 And that's a dangerous way to live physically and spiritually. We also need to recognize there 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:21.759 are truths that we are to face up to and recognize by faith in the living God. We know therefore 00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:29.039 by faith. We also know it because Isaiah is planted in the middle of history, or it's planted in the 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:38.240 middle of God's Word. And the prophetic reality of judgment on His own people and indeed on the 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:45.120 nations around came true. For Israel and the surrounding nations, what was prophesied, the 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:53.519 judgment and redemption is what has come true. The captivity, the remnant, the rise and fall of 00:10:53.519 --> 00:11:00.159 Assyria and Babylon is undeniable history. It's absolute real history for us. And therefore we 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:06.560 recognize that as prophecy has revealed itself to be true, then it enables our faith to grow and 00:11:06.560 --> 00:11:13.039 become stronger. So therein lies our hope, and they're coming at a good bit. Therein lies our hope 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:21.279 because the prophetic message of chapter 35 speaks both about future judgment from Isaiah's time 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:28.879 and incredible hope because it speaks about redemption and life. It's a prophecy of Jesus 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:36.719 Christ. It's a prophecy moving forward of Christ's incredible sacrificial love and His redemptive 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:46.000 answer to our lostness and our need. It's this great view forward that speaks both of the Christ 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:53.680 that we know and has already been, and the Christ that is still to come. There's a great fusion of 00:11:53.680 --> 00:12:00.639 the prophecy of the first and second comings of Jesus Christ. It was a message of hope for the 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:07.360 Old Testament people that there would be a redeemer, that there would be a future for all who remained 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:14.319 and put their trust in Him. And for us, as we've seen God's saving purposes revealed, it gives us 00:12:14.319 --> 00:12:21.519 great hope, faith and hope because of God's great love. So let's just for a moment look at chapter 00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:30.720 35, redemption through judgment, a future prophecy, because we see immediately as it introduces itself, 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:37.759 it's speaking about the wilderness being turned into a garden, that imagery that comes again and 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:46.960 again and again, and it comes because it speaks about the sacrifice of Christ. Verse 4, middle 00:12:46.960 --> 00:12:54.480 of verse 4, behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God, He will come 00:12:54.480 --> 00:13:00.080 and save you. Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:05.280 then shall the lame man leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute sing for joy, 00:13:06.080 --> 00:13:12.639 for waters break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. So it's relating to us, 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:20.480 the coming of the Messiah, the coming of Jesus Christ, and it reminds us that there has already 00:13:20.480 --> 00:13:28.319 been a day of vengeance, there has already been a day of judgment. As He comes in judgment, He will 00:13:28.319 --> 00:13:33.600 come and save you. And it's speaking very much about the first coming of Jesus Christ and His 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:40.480 sacrificial death on the cross, where God's judgment upon us for our sins was dealt with. 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:48.879 And it's that great reality. Second Corinthians 5, 21, He who knew no sin became sin so that we 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:56.800 might become the righteousness of God. And it's bringing forward, therefore, the day of judgment 00:13:57.680 --> 00:14:04.159 for everyone who will put their trust in Him. As a believer this evening, your day of judgment has 00:14:04.159 --> 00:14:14.480 been. It has passed. It can never happen again. And that reality is surrounded by some of the signs 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:23.519 that happened during the first coming of Jesus Christ. The eyes of the blind were opened, 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:28.159 the ears of the deaf unstopped, and the lame man shall leap like a deer. What does that remind you 00:14:28.159 --> 00:14:34.079 of? Does it remind you of silver and gold, have I none? But such as I have, I give a U in the name of Jesus 00:14:34.079 --> 00:14:42.000 Christ, rise up and walk. And the man rose up and danced and walked into the temple as the gospel 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:48.399 was proclaimed. And there's this great reminder of the healing miracles around the coming of Jesus 00:14:48.399 --> 00:14:55.199 Christ surrounding His ministry, speaking of His work and speaking of the ultimate spiritual healing 00:14:55.200 --> 00:15:00.400 that we'd bring. And that we would be those who would be seeing and hearing and following Jesus 00:15:00.400 --> 00:15:07.600 because of His great work on our behalf. And it speaks of the water breaking forth in the wilderness 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:16.240 and streams in the desert. Does that speak of but Pentecost? So clearly the Spirit being poured out 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:23.200 upon the people on the day of Pentecost and changing the spiritual desert and the climate 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:29.840 of the day into one of living relationship with God, streams in the desert, the living water of 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:37.040 Jesus Christ. I am the water when you come to me, you will never thirst again, light in the darkness, 00:15:37.040 --> 00:15:44.480 rejoicing through the grace of God being revealed. And that, what Jesus has done, 00:15:46.560 --> 00:15:51.840 as God looks at it, that's exactly what He sees. He sees that spiritual wilderness of unbelief 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:59.600 being changed into a garden through the indwelling of the Spirit and the life-giving reality that 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:08.080 Jesus brings to us in the hope that we have. So we've got the sacrifice of Jesus spoken of here, 00:16:08.080 --> 00:16:14.160 but we also have spoken of here the highway of hope, the redemptive highway in verse 8, 00:16:14.160 --> 00:16:21.040 and a highway will be there and it shall be called the way of holiness. The unclean shall not pass 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:30.719 over it and so on. And it's incredibly pictorial language speaking of those who follow Jesus 00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:37.120 and who walk the way of the gospel. It's a picture of those who trust in Jesus Christ. 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:43.599 It's interesting in Acts that five times Christians are called followers of the way. 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:52.399 And that reality was something that was in their psyche. Maybe from Jesus himself, 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:58.240 we said, I am the way, the truth and the life, but also from this idea of the Old Testament 00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:05.839 idea of the highway of holiness, the way of truth that those who were redeemed would be walking on. 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:16.319 And the prophecy here in Isaiah 35 encompasses both the journey, the way, and also the destination, 00:17:16.879 --> 00:17:24.879 the city of Zion. And it's a reminder to us of the life we are living today as we journey 00:17:24.879 --> 00:17:34.559 as believers towards eternity. It's a place, this way following Jesus is a place of new 00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:42.639 spiritual life. We're told in 9 and 10 that the redeemed shall walk there, the ransomed of the 00:17:42.639 --> 00:17:51.599 Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing. So the way is spoken of as the journeying place 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:57.519 of those who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ, bought by His precious blood on the cross. 00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:03.359 The incredible reality of the difference that the Holy Spirit makes in our lives, 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:11.119 is that we have a spiritual vitality and a spiritual life that transforms who we are. 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:16.399 We can worship, we can love God, love others, we can even love ourselves 00:18:17.439 --> 00:18:23.359 in the way that we were intended to be loved. Katrina and I were recently with Rosie, 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:30.319 we were in the Canary Islands, and it's such a great picture, a great example of the difference 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:38.559 between the desert and the garden, because it is, it's just a black volcanic rock, it's hardly the 00:18:38.559 --> 00:18:44.960 highlands of Scotland by any stretch of the imagination. It's very dull, it's very dry 00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:53.839 until you get to the areas that are irrigated, and it's beautiful, absolutely beautiful. 00:18:53.839 --> 00:19:01.359 The most amazing exotic plants grow there, and it is stunning. And that is the spiritual 00:19:01.359 --> 00:19:07.679 reality that we're being reminded of, that out of Christ, there's nothing but dark volcanic rock. 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:18.799 And in Christ, there's a spiritual fruitfulness, a spiritual vitality and liveliness. The redeemed 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:25.680 are those who have been bought back by Jesus Christ, the Old Testament concept of the Kingsman 00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:32.639 Redeemer, who would have the right to take his helpless relatives' needs and debts, take them 00:19:32.639 --> 00:19:39.039 on himself as his own. You see it beautifully in the Book of Ruth, the whole idea of God's 00:19:39.039 --> 00:19:49.920 substitutional love and care and protection of us in Christ. With great gladness and joy, we are those 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:59.359 who have heard Jesus say, I'll pay, I'll pay for you, I'll pay the price, I'll take the debts. 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:08.799 So it's a way of new life, it's a way of holiness, and that is a great reminder to us 00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:15.919 of the gospel. A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness. 00:20:19.519 --> 00:20:25.039 We have come away from our own folly, we have come away from our own self-reliance, 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:31.200 and we are covered in the holiness of Jesus, His righteousness, for sure we're covered in His 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:40.559 righteousness, and we can claim His perfect life for our own. But we're reminded that we're made 00:20:40.559 --> 00:20:48.720 clean by this Savior. The unclean shall not pass over it. We're made clean by Jesus Christ, and 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:55.759 we are to journey with that attitude, and we're to journey with that realization, and we're to 00:20:55.759 --> 00:21:04.240 journey with that walk of faith and holiness. We're called to be holy people living in dependence 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:12.160 and gratitude on Him, seeking to follow Him, live with a sense of our own need. Spoken so beautifully 00:21:12.160 --> 00:21:19.759 this morning by Corey and the passage about shepherding and the significance of knowing our need 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:29.119 and knowing that we go to Him for cleansing and washing. You can't avoid on this way the battle 00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:34.879 against sin and selfishness. It simply can't be done. We have the power of the Holy Spirit to 00:21:34.879 --> 00:21:45.279 transform us, but we will never drift our way into heaven. We will never just find that it's an easy 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:53.680 passage because we have two natures, and we're battling against our fallen and sinful and selfish 00:21:53.680 --> 00:22:00.960 nature, but we are empowered on this way of holiness to follow Jesus Christ. And so this great 00:22:00.960 --> 00:22:10.240 picture of a way of holiness leads us to a city. It leads us to the city of unparalleled joy, 00:22:10.240 --> 00:22:16.720 where's 10, and the ransom of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, everlasting joy 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:22.160 shall be in their heads, they shall obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:30.880 So what we remember and the older you get, the more this hits home is that our lives 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:38.559 are not cyclical. I don't think, anyway, let's think that they're linear. We're coming to a 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:44.879 destination. We're coming to an end. We're traveling. Our lives have a linear destination, 00:22:45.519 --> 00:22:54.799 and for believers it's an incredible destination. Judgment day has already passed. We've seen that. 00:22:55.359 --> 00:23:03.279 It's been meted out. So our future in Christ is entirely positive. I'm not saying for a moment 00:23:03.279 --> 00:23:09.039 that we're not afraid of getting old, and I'm definitely not saying we're not afraid of dying. 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:16.559 I think the process of getting to our destination is not that pleasant for many of us, unless Jesus 00:23:16.559 --> 00:23:22.960 comes back first. I remember my dad saying once shortly before he died, he said, I'm not afraid of 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:32.480 not afraid of death, but I'm afraid of dying. Sorry. I'm afraid of dying. And I think that's a reality 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:41.360 for us. I'm not an unreasonable one in many ways, but we take our fear to Him even in the valley of 00:23:41.360 --> 00:23:48.640 the shadow of death, because this prophecy is a blend both of a journey and a destination, 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:56.080 because it speaks at the, if you go back to the beginning of the chapter, it speaks to our final 00:23:56.080 --> 00:24:02.000 destination and what it looks like. There's a glory of a new creation. It's this blossoming, 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:06.720 blossoming abundantly and rejoicing, rejoicing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, 00:24:06.720 --> 00:24:14.320 the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. It's just a gentle hint towards the restoration and the reversal 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:22.399 of all the curse and the fallenness of sin entering into the world. It's the redeeming 00:24:22.399 --> 00:24:31.200 and renewing us back into the garden. Lebanon was synonymous with natural fertility, 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:40.480 Carmel with cultivated order, Sharon with innate beauty. And all of these things speak of the 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:46.960 new creation, the new physical world that we will enjoy. But way beyond that glory that we will 00:24:46.960 --> 00:24:54.079 enjoy in the physical universe will be the glory of the Lord. And we shall see the glory of the Lord, 00:24:54.079 --> 00:24:59.920 the majesty of our God. We can't grasp His glory really. We can't grasp His holiness, 00:25:00.559 --> 00:25:05.920 but there will be a day when we will, when we will see and when we will understand and when we 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:15.039 will be genuinely, eternally awestruck at His majesty and His glory. And it is a place therefore 00:25:15.039 --> 00:25:23.440 of overwhelming gladness. Isn't that a beautiful little vignette really in the middle of a book 00:25:23.440 --> 00:25:31.279 that has got so much heaviness and darkness and judgment in many ways, but overwhelmingly great 00:25:31.279 --> 00:25:39.039 in comparison? Because both in creation there will be this great gladness. The desert shall 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:43.440 rejoice and blossom like the crocus that shall blossom abundantly, but also they're redeemed 00:25:43.440 --> 00:25:49.920 themselves. Not only will creation sing, but we will sing with creation. It will be a, it's a place 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:58.720 of great happiness and great joy. The struggles of life will be an evaporating memory, sorrow and 00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:10.480 satan shall flee away. Sorry. And microphones will work perfectly in the new creation. We might not 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:17.759 need microphones. That'd be great. I certainly not need preachers, which is even better. Overwhelming 00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:24.799 gladness and unbridled, the unbridled joy. One of the great examples or illustrations would be the 00:26:24.799 --> 00:26:31.359 unbridled joy of a family wedding. You know, with the people you love around you, the people you want 00:26:31.359 --> 00:26:39.440 to be there, the family that you love there as well, that great unbridled joy multiplied infinitely 00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:51.039 in the new creation with the church being the bride. And we have a great joy of the feast, 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:58.559 the wedding feast of the Lamb. So it's a beautiful, and why is it so important? Because it's in the 00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:06.720 middle of a book that speaks about judgment that has already, we've seen being meted out 00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:15.759 on Babylon, on Assyria, on the captives of Israel, on Jesus and the cross. It's all come true. 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:23.759 So it's important that we recognize that this aspect, not just the way that we're in just now, 00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:31.119 that speaks of our Christian walk, but the future is utterly reliable from the living God. And so 00:27:31.119 --> 00:27:35.759 I leave you with a word of encouragement that, well, God leaves you with a word of encouragement, 00:27:35.759 --> 00:27:43.359 really from verse 3, strengthen the weak hands, make firm the feeble knees, say to those who have 00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:50.959 an anxious heart, be strong and fear not. And that's what we're called to do. Don't be afraid 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:58.159 in the Christian life. You know, on this way now, on this Christian walk, sometimes it just 00:27:58.159 --> 00:28:05.199 feels like a desert, and it doesn't feel very easy. But we can remind ourselves that God in 00:28:05.200 --> 00:28:13.840 Christ has acted on our behalf. He will return for you, and He will take you home. So we're called to 00:28:13.840 --> 00:28:25.360 be strong in Him, our hands of action, our knees of stability, our hearts of conviction, to be strong 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:33.200 in Him as we look to Him and remind ourselves that it's a safe road that we're on. 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:40.799 Verse 9, no lion will be there, no ravenous beast come up on it. They shall not be found there, 00:28:41.600 --> 00:28:48.480 protected from this great symbolic picture of darkness and evil and opposition. Darkness and 00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:56.880 death has lost its sting. There's no turning back. It's a great way to be on. I hope and pray that 00:28:56.880 --> 00:29:03.920 you're all on that way. And if you're not, I would deeply encourage you to consider Jesus Christ, 00:29:03.920 --> 00:29:11.280 who says, I am the way, the truth and the life. Amen. Let's pray. Father God, help us to understand 00:29:11.280 --> 00:29:21.440 who you are and understand this great picture, prophetic picture of your work, both that we can 00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:31.519 look back at in Christ from 2,000 years ago and can recognize the way that believers have been on 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:39.840 ever since Pentecost and can look forward as we remind ourselves when we celebrate with the 00:29:39.840 --> 00:29:46.720 sacrament that we do this until He comes. You're coming to take us home and we rejoice in that. 00:29:46.720 --> 00:29:52.160 We rejoice in that perspective and we pray for deeper faith to believe it. We pray for greater 00:29:52.160 --> 00:29:59.759 wisdom to live it and we pray for greater courage to be able to walk on this road 00:30:01.360 --> 00:30:08.000 by looking to you and by relying on you and by seeking your strength and knowing what it means 00:30:08.000 --> 00:30:14.400 to be indwelt by your spirit. So protect us. We pray this evening. Pray for any who might 00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:21.519 have come this evening just on the edge of the road feeling like they want to give up, walk away 00:30:22.240 --> 00:30:29.759 or are struggling with the difficulty of following Jesus. We pray that there may be a word for them 00:30:29.759 --> 00:30:38.480 this evening and may also always be a word for each of us as we remember who you are and your 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:46.319 great and glorious promises, commitment to us and outstanding love for us. Help us to grasp your 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:55.279 holiness tonight and what it means to walk on the way of holiness today in Edinburgh in 2023. 00:30:55.279 --> 00:31:08.799 Help us be free, O Lord. Amen.