WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.439 Our reading today is from Isaiah 1, ending in chapter 2, on page 686 of the Church Bibles. 00:00:14.580 --> 00:00:17.000 ! Isaiah 1, verse 1. 00:00:18.219 --> 00:00:28.960 The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:34.320 Hear me, you heavens, listen, earth, for the Lord has spoken. 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:39.060 I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. 00:00:39.700 --> 00:00:48.679 The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner's manger, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:57.159 Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption. 00:00:57.159 --> 00:00:59.519 They have forsaken the Lord. 00:00:59.939 --> 00:01:03.959 They have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him. 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:06.920 Why should you be beaten anymore? 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:09.099 Why do you persist in rebellion? 00:01:09.579 --> 00:01:12.500 Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:16.939 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness, 00:01:17.359 --> 00:01:24.099 only wounds and bruises and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil. 00:01:24.099 --> 00:01:28.819 Your country is desolate, your cities burned with fire, 00:01:29.219 --> 00:01:32.560 your fields are being stripped by foreigners right before you, 00:01:32.899 --> 00:01:35.679 laid waste as when overthrown by strangers. 00:01:37.000 --> 00:01:40.119 Daughter Zion is left like a shelter in a vineyard, 00:01:40.419 --> 00:01:43.840 like a hut in a cucumber field, like a city under siege. 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:47.500 Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors, 00:01:47.960 --> 00:01:49.659 we would have become like Sodom. 00:01:50.100 --> 00:01:51.719 We would have been like Gomorrah. 00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:55.340 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. 00:01:55.740 --> 00:01:59.560 Listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah. 00:01:59.920 --> 00:02:03.859 The multitude of your sacrifices, what are they to me? 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:04.500 Says the Lord. 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:10.159 I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals. 00:02:10.780 --> 00:02:14.800 I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:19.259 When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:21.400 this trampling of my courts? 00:02:22.120 --> 00:02:23.900 Stop bringing meaningless offerings. 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:26.560 Your incense is detestable to me. 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:30.039 New moons, Sabbaths and convocations, 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:32.460 I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:36.180 Your new moon feasts and your appointed festivals, 00:02:36.480 --> 00:02:38.080 I hate with all my being. 00:02:38.640 --> 00:02:40.340 They have become a burden to me. 00:02:40.640 --> 00:02:42.300 I am weary of bearing them. 00:02:43.140 --> 00:02:45.219 When you spread out your hands in prayer, 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:47.080 I hide my eyes from you. 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:50.640 Even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. 00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:53.020 Your hands are full of blood. 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:55.800 Wash and make yourselves clean. 00:02:56.180 --> 00:02:58.480 Take your evil deeds out of my sight. 00:02:58.860 --> 00:02:59.939 Stop doing wrong. 00:03:00.580 --> 00:03:01.659 Learn to do right. 00:03:01.659 --> 00:03:02.840 Seek justice. 00:03:03.240 --> 00:03:04.379 Defend the oppressed. 00:03:04.960 --> 00:03:06.740 Take up the cause of the fatherless. 00:03:07.079 --> 00:03:08.520 Plead the case of the widow. 00:03:09.579 --> 00:03:11.979 Come now, let us settle the matter, says the Lord. 00:03:12.519 --> 00:03:16.039 Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. 00:03:16.519 --> 00:03:19.579 Though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 00:03:20.539 --> 00:03:24.560 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land. 00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:28.780 But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. 00:03:28.780 --> 00:03:31.140 For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 00:03:31.139 --> 00:03:35.419 See how the faithful city has become a prostitute. 00:03:35.419 --> 00:03:38.639 See, she once was full of justice. 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:41.359 Righteousness used to dwell in her. 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:42.360 But now murderers. 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:43.360 But now murderers. 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:45.980 Your silver has become dross. 00:03:45.980 --> 00:03:48.780 Your choice wine is diluted with water. 00:03:48.780 --> 00:03:52.340 Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves. 00:03:52.340 --> 00:03:55.300 They all love bribes and chase after gifts. 00:03:55.300 --> 00:03:58.280 They do not defend the cause of the fatherless. 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:01.780 The widow's case does not come before them. 00:04:01.780 --> 00:04:07.340 Therefore, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, the mighty one of Israel declares, 00:04:08.120 --> 00:04:13.120 I will vent my wrath on my foes and avenge myself on my enemies. 00:04:13.420 --> 00:04:15.439 I will turn my hand against you. 00:04:15.719 --> 00:04:20.019 I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. 00:04:20.019 --> 00:04:26.180 I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning. 00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:31.740 Afterwards, you'll be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. 00:04:31.779 --> 00:04:37.319 Zion will be delivered with justice, her pertinent ones with righteousness. 00:04:37.319 --> 00:04:43.619 But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish. 00:04:43.619 --> 00:04:48.159 You will be ashamed because of the sacred oaks in which you have delighted. 00:04:48.679 --> 00:04:52.819 You will be disgraced because of the gardens that you have chosen. 00:04:53.419 --> 00:04:58.299 You'll be like an oak with fading leaves, like a garden without water. 00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:02.560 The mighty man will become tinder, and his worker spark. 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:06.600 Both will burn together with no one to quench the fire. 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:12.780 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 00:05:13.340 --> 00:05:19.720 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains. 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:24.639 It will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:32.180 Many peoples will come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. 00:05:32.180 --> 00:05:36.659 He will teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths. 00:05:37.379 --> 00:05:41.740 The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:46.879 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:51.839 They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. 00:05:52.360 --> 00:05:57.639 Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 00:05:58.839 --> 00:06:02.839 Come, descendants of Jacob, let's walk in the light of the Lord. 00:06:04.339 --> 00:06:06.279 Thank you, Natasha, for reading for us. 00:06:06.420 --> 00:06:08.259 Let's pray as we come to God's word. 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:08.659 Let's pray. 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:19.760 Heavenly Father, as we come to look at your word together this morning, we come from all sorts of different places. 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:22.260 Some of us find this very familiar. 00:06:22.520 --> 00:06:24.000 We've read the Bible before. 00:06:24.120 --> 00:06:25.340 We know a little bit about it. 00:06:26.440 --> 00:06:33.540 For others of us, it's very unfamiliar and very strange, and we can't imagine that such an ancient text has anything to say to us. 00:06:33.540 --> 00:06:36.160 Some of us are old. 00:06:36.260 --> 00:06:38.379 We've spent years in church listening to sermons. 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:43.319 Others of us are young, and listening to sermons feels like a recipe for boredom. 00:06:44.780 --> 00:06:53.660 Some of us, Lord, have experienced the power of your spirit opening our eyes to your word and hearing you speak through ancient texts into our modern lives. 00:06:54.939 --> 00:06:57.640 Others of us can't imagine such a thing happening today. 00:06:58.680 --> 00:06:59.800 And so, Lord, we need you. 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:03.439 Take this, your word. 00:07:04.100 --> 00:07:07.939 Strange and unfamiliar as it might be, and speak to us, we ask. 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:15.340 Help us not just to understand it, but also to recognize its truth in our hearts. 00:07:16.460 --> 00:07:23.280 Lord, might you, as with a sharp sword, cut us this morning and expose us to your message of grace and truth. 00:07:23.980 --> 00:07:24.939 In Jesus' name. 00:07:25.780 --> 00:07:26.140 Amen. 00:07:26.140 --> 00:07:26.379 Amen. 00:07:26.379 --> 00:07:26.899 Amen. 00:07:29.699 --> 00:07:37.339 Now, before we look at Isaiah 1, I want us just to wind the clock back a little bit and do a little bit of history. 00:07:37.899 --> 00:07:40.420 I want us to wind back to a character called Moses. 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:41.819 You will have heard of Moses. 00:07:41.819 --> 00:07:48.139 Moses, you might remember, led God's people from slavery in Egypt and through the desert wilderness. 00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:57.699 And then, in the book of Deuteronomy, he stands with God's people on the edge of the Jordan, preaching his final sermons to them. 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:02.479 Moses himself is not going to get to cross the Jordan River and enter to the Promised Land. 00:08:03.159 --> 00:08:06.439 Joshua is going to do that after he has died. 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:11.639 But before he dies, he gives them in these sermons some final instructions. 00:08:12.540 --> 00:08:14.420 And they are strange instructions. 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:19.579 He tells the people that when they get into the Promised Land, they are to go to the valley of Shechem, 00:08:20.779 --> 00:08:24.019 a valley that is overshadowed by two great mountains. 00:08:24.680 --> 00:08:31.639 And they are to send half the tribes up one mountain, the Mount Gerizim, and the other up the other mountain, the Mount Ebar. 00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:42.740 And when the people are arranged like that, the six tribes on Mount Gerizim are to shout blessings for God's people if they're obedient. 00:08:43.019 --> 00:08:45.399 These are the blessings for obedience, says Moses. 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:46.539 And he tells them what to say. 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:52.019 And then the six tribes who are on Mount Ebar are to shout the curses for disobedience. 00:08:52.480 --> 00:08:55.199 This is what will happen if you disobey, says God. 00:08:55.259 --> 00:08:57.419 And Moses gives them the words to say as well. 00:08:57.419 --> 00:09:04.699 You can imagine it, can't you, in this sort of natural amphitheater of this great valley with these two mountains on either side. 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:11.860 They are to listen to what essentially is like a kind of covenant renewal ceremony between God and his people. 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:16.779 After telling them to do that, Moses then teaches the people a song. 00:09:17.379 --> 00:09:22.959 And in the opening line to the song, he calls heaven and earth to witness the people's commitment to God. 00:09:22.960 --> 00:09:29.440 It's like heaven and earth are getting to watch and witness this people commit themselves to God. 00:09:30.820 --> 00:09:34.820 I think perhaps the best way to think about it is to think about it like a marriage. 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:39.519 It's like a great sort of wedding between God and his people. 00:09:40.379 --> 00:09:41.680 The people are like the bride. 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:42.920 God is like the groom. 00:09:43.660 --> 00:09:51.180 And the heavens and the earth are the congregation who are gathered there to witness what is being promised, this great covenant. 00:09:51.179 --> 00:09:57.379 Now, keep that in mind and have a look at Isaiah chapter 1 and verse 2. 00:09:57.899 --> 00:10:00.019 If you've not got your Bible open, open it again. 00:10:00.139 --> 00:10:01.679 Isaiah chapter 1 verse 2. 00:10:02.699 --> 00:10:04.439 Listen to what is said. 00:10:04.979 --> 00:10:06.659 Hear me, you heavens. 00:10:07.659 --> 00:10:10.819 Listen, earth, for the Lord has spoken. 00:10:11.479 --> 00:10:15.819 I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. 00:10:15.820 --> 00:10:20.800 Now, this is hundreds of years after Moses' song and the great covenant renewal ceremony. 00:10:21.180 --> 00:10:22.360 But notice what is happening. 00:10:22.820 --> 00:10:26.600 God is recalling the witnesses to the ceremony, if you like. 00:10:27.060 --> 00:10:30.840 He's saying to the heavens and earth, you know, you heard what these people promised. 00:10:31.040 --> 00:10:34.240 Now, come back and listen to what came of that. 00:10:35.180 --> 00:10:41.420 To pick up our wedding image, as if the groom re-invites the wedding guests back. 00:10:41.419 --> 00:10:50.620 He says, I want you to come back to church again, and I want you to now witness what has come of what you saw before. 00:10:51.319 --> 00:10:53.139 I want you to hear about what she's done. 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.620 I want you to hear about the broken promises and the unfaithfulness. 00:10:56.620 --> 00:11:05.679 If you keep your eyes on Isaiah 1, there's a here there in verse 2, and there's another here in verse 10. 00:11:06.820 --> 00:11:12.399 The here in verse 10 is now not the heavens and the earth that are called to listen, but rather it's the people themselves. 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:15.620 God now is no longer talking to the witnesses who he's regathered. 00:11:16.340 --> 00:11:18.480 He's talking to the people personally. 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:19.820 Verse 10, look down at it. 00:11:20.179 --> 00:11:22.820 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. 00:11:23.299 --> 00:11:26.080 Listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah. 00:11:27.419 --> 00:11:31.600 Sodom and Gomorrah are two wicked cities destroyed by fire from heaven. 00:11:31.940 --> 00:11:35.200 And in verse 9, God has said that the people have become like them. 00:11:35.580 --> 00:11:37.399 So now he calls them by that name. 00:11:38.360 --> 00:11:45.379 In the image of our kind of regathered wedding, it's as if the husband now having said to the congregation, 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:48.120 listen, I want you to know what became of this wedding. 00:11:48.600 --> 00:11:54.039 He now is turning to his bride and saying, look, I know what you've done. 00:11:54.039 --> 00:11:56.240 I know what you're like. 00:11:56.639 --> 00:11:58.539 I know where you go at night. 00:11:58.839 --> 00:12:00.279 I know what you do. 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:02.719 Listen as I tell you. 00:12:02.959 --> 00:12:05.319 Hear as I tell you what you've done to me. 00:12:05.320 --> 00:12:13.900 Then later in the chapter in verse 18, instead of the word hear, you find the word come. 00:12:14.920 --> 00:12:19.980 Verse 18, as we looked up with the children, come now, let us settle the matter, says the Lord. 00:12:19.980 --> 00:12:26.539 This is an invitation from God, which is then echoed at the end of our passage in chapter 2, verse 5, 00:12:26.620 --> 00:12:31.220 when Isaiah calls the people, come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:35.259 And here the instruction is, listen, says God, I want you to engage with me. 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:37.560 I want us to sort this out. 00:12:37.980 --> 00:12:41.300 I don't want us to leave like we are now. 00:12:41.299 --> 00:12:43.659 I want us to resolve this issue, he says. 00:12:43.779 --> 00:12:45.779 Come, let's sort it out. 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:48.879 So that is our passage this morning, okay? 00:12:49.419 --> 00:12:51.719 Hear, hear, come. 00:12:51.899 --> 00:12:52.579 Three words. 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:54.359 Hear, hear, and come. 00:12:54.679 --> 00:12:58.240 And what we're going to do is take a closer look at each of those three words. 00:12:58.319 --> 00:13:00.679 So let's think about the first, hear. 00:13:01.339 --> 00:13:02.379 Hear, number one. 00:13:03.019 --> 00:13:07.379 As you look down at those verses, you can see that God's case against his people is pretty simple. 00:13:07.719 --> 00:13:09.000 Look down again at verse 2. 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:10.120 Hear me, you heavens. 00:13:10.779 --> 00:13:12.519 Listen, earth, for the Lord has spoken. 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:17.320 I reared children and brought them up, but they've rebelled against me. 00:13:17.700 --> 00:13:22.980 The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner's manger, but Israel does not know. 00:13:23.179 --> 00:13:24.779 My people do not understand. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:27.220 Do you understand what's going on? 00:13:28.019 --> 00:13:32.240 God's case is that despite all that he has done for his people, 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:36.919 despite rescuing them from Egypt, calling them and rearing them like a father and a child, 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:40.899 still they have behaved worse than an oxen and a donkey, 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:44.959 who at least know you shouldn't bite the hand that feeds you. 00:13:45.979 --> 00:13:50.319 So despite the fact that they are, in verse 4, a nation, a people, and children to the Lord, 00:13:50.379 --> 00:13:55.779 they are, says Isaiah, loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, and given to corruption. 00:13:55.779 --> 00:14:00.199 Now, the details of what they've done, we're going to find out later. 00:14:00.779 --> 00:14:02.360 But notice what comes first. 00:14:02.879 --> 00:14:09.220 Their first problem is they've forgotten who God is, and therefore they've forgotten who they are. 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:14.519 The people have forgotten they belong to God, rescued them, that he brought them up, 00:14:14.560 --> 00:14:19.019 that they were his, that he loved them and cared for them, that he provided for them and watched over them. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:23.560 They've become like, and I don't look in any one particular direction, 00:14:23.680 --> 00:14:28.240 but they've become like that child who lives in a flat, that they don't rent the flat, 00:14:28.379 --> 00:14:31.639 they use water that they don't pay for, they eat food that they did not buy, 00:14:31.639 --> 00:14:36.039 they eat off plates that they never wash, and they don't believe in parents. 00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:38.000 They're as if they don't exist. 00:14:38.360 --> 00:14:41.080 Or as if they do exist, well, they're probably not that important anyway. 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:44.860 But they are living off their hospitality every moment of every day. 00:14:45.319 --> 00:14:47.840 And that, says God, is what my people are like. 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:51.139 I've provided everything for them, I've given them all that they need, 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:52.679 but they ignore me completely. 00:14:53.860 --> 00:14:56.340 And notice God is not silent while they've been doing that. 00:14:56.399 --> 00:14:59.600 Look at verse 5, and you'll hear that God has punished the people for their sin. 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:05.040 They have open sores in verse 6 as a result, that they've been conquered by other nations. 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:07.000 This has not been working out well. 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:09.360 Their cities have been burnt. 00:15:10.019 --> 00:15:13.240 Their fields have been stripped of crops by foreign armies that have invaded. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:17.899 And at the end of verse 8, God pictures his people like a hut in a cucumber field. 00:15:19.340 --> 00:15:21.399 Now you might think, well, a hut in a cucumber field? 00:15:21.460 --> 00:15:23.480 What on earth is a hut in a cucumber field? 00:15:23.680 --> 00:15:25.259 It's actually a really brilliant picture. 00:15:25.259 --> 00:15:30.200 I don't know whether you know about picking cucumbers, I don't know much about it, 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:32.059 but it's not something apparently you do for long. 00:15:32.819 --> 00:15:37.539 The cucumber season is a very short season in the summer, only for a few weeks. 00:15:38.080 --> 00:15:42.679 So if you're picking cucumbers, you do not build a shed that's going to last you months and months and months. 00:15:42.879 --> 00:15:45.799 You only want something that's just going to keep the sun off for a few weeks 00:15:45.799 --> 00:15:47.279 while you're in that field picking cucumbers. 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:52.519 And so the people, says God, they're no longer a fortress city. 00:15:53.439 --> 00:15:58.339 They're like a kind of wobbly allotment shed that's just put up to last the summer and will fall down in the winter. 00:16:01.199 --> 00:16:02.860 Now, I wonder what you make of all this. 00:16:03.759 --> 00:16:08.299 Even as I'm preaching, I can sort of imagine you thinking, well, this is just so weird. 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:10.259 I'm not used to listening to this kind of language. 00:16:11.419 --> 00:16:13.939 And there is a challenge to understanding the words, isn't there? 00:16:13.940 --> 00:16:16.700 It's also written before Christ. 00:16:16.860 --> 00:16:22.840 And so we're going to have to do some work to understand it because it's written to the nation of Judah and not directly to the church. 00:16:22.900 --> 00:16:23.900 There's a challenge there. 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:26.360 But I think the point is still very simple. 00:16:27.160 --> 00:16:39.420 It's this, that there is an awful possibility for God's people to forget who God is and therefore forget who they are. 00:16:40.280 --> 00:16:41.700 That's the awful possibility. 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:52.160 The danger for Judah, the danger for our church, the danger for you, the danger for me, is not simply that we are tempted into wicked actions, 00:16:52.720 --> 00:17:00.680 but that ahead of those wicked actions, we are lured into misunderstanding God and therefore ourselves. 00:17:01.640 --> 00:17:02.920 We forget God. 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:05.180 We forget that he is the one to whom we belong. 00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:10.299 We forget that these lives are his, that he saved us, that he cares for us, that he watches over us. 00:17:10.299 --> 00:17:17.319 And the truth is that our battle with sin, be that pride or anger or alcohol or lust or worry or gossip, 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:23.559 really that is a battle for who I am and who God is and what my life is for. 00:17:24.279 --> 00:17:27.539 The temptation to unfaithfulness is really the temptation to say, 00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:29.180 I am not God's child. 00:17:29.259 --> 00:17:30.399 This is not his world. 00:17:30.480 --> 00:17:31.619 I don't belong to him. 00:17:31.859 --> 00:17:33.319 I can ignore him. 00:17:33.319 --> 00:17:41.519 I went this week to the launch of a new book called The Stories We Live By. 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:51.759 And the author was saying that often what shapes our lives is not so much a set of list of things that we have decided we're going to believe, 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:56.119 but unconscious stories that we sort of assimilate about what life is for. 00:17:57.420 --> 00:17:59.559 These stories are told to us in all sorts of different ways. 00:17:59.700 --> 00:18:02.039 You know, stories like you should look after number one. 00:18:02.920 --> 00:18:03.900 You do you. 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:06.299 You must be true to yourself. 00:18:06.299 --> 00:18:09.000 You can do anything that you put your mind to. 00:18:09.579 --> 00:18:13.000 All the stories essentially have us at the center of them. 00:18:13.379 --> 00:18:15.819 And God, if he's there, well, he's a bit part player. 00:18:15.919 --> 00:18:19.419 He's a kind of extra that comes on in the last scene, maybe just for a few moments, 00:18:19.919 --> 00:18:21.940 but doesn't really play any significant parts. 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:24.619 That's it here, isn't it? 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:26.460 It is not a true story. 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:30.759 It's a false story about their identity, about who they are. 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:33.900 God is no longer the director, the writer, the producer. 00:18:34.039 --> 00:18:36.319 He's an irrelevance as they go on with their lives. 00:18:38.500 --> 00:18:42.059 Now, I think we see that in lots of different ways in all of our lives. 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:51.460 Anxious thoughts about the future rely on a false story about what God is like and how involved he is in our lives. 00:18:52.099 --> 00:18:57.740 My fears about what might be, my regrets for what was, all of those reduce the role of God in our lives. 00:18:57.740 --> 00:18:59.480 But so does temptation. 00:19:00.299 --> 00:19:04.920 Temptation says that God doesn't see, God doesn't care, God's not bothered, God's not good. 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:06.859 He's spoiling our fun. 00:19:08.500 --> 00:19:10.220 That's why, isn't it, if you're a Christian this morning, 00:19:10.339 --> 00:19:14.000 the most useful thing you can say to yourself in the face of temptation, 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:18.640 whatever that temptation is, is not just, I should not do this. 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:23.660 You should say to yourself instead, this is not who I am. 00:19:24.180 --> 00:19:25.000 That's what you need to say. 00:19:25.700 --> 00:19:27.539 This is not who God is. 00:19:27.740 --> 00:19:32.140 Perhaps you wouldn't call yourself a Christian this morning. 00:19:32.900 --> 00:19:35.839 I think if that's you, this is a really helpful thing for you to hear. 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:39.000 Because this is what the Bible says is wrong with the world. 00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:43.759 You might assume, if you're not a Christian, that what the Bible says is wrong with the world 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:46.180 is that we're all naughty and we all do bad stuff. 00:19:47.039 --> 00:19:49.420 Now, the Bible does talk about morality. 00:19:49.420 --> 00:19:55.860 But ahead of all of that, the Bible's message is that he has given you, whoever you are, 00:19:56.259 --> 00:19:57.720 he has given you breath. 00:19:58.019 --> 00:19:59.320 He has given you life. 00:19:59.720 --> 00:20:01.840 He has made you for him. 00:20:02.300 --> 00:20:05.880 He has put you in this world that he made, that you might live for his glory. 00:20:06.320 --> 00:20:07.380 You are his creature. 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:08.560 You are his child. 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:11.679 And your problem isn't just that you are immoral. 00:20:12.079 --> 00:20:17.659 Your problem is that ahead of that, you live as if you belong to yourself and not to him. 00:20:18.659 --> 00:20:25.299 And in effect, verse 5 of Isaiah 1 says to you and to me, how is that working out for you? 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:26.659 How is it working out? 00:20:26.660 --> 00:20:28.820 How are you getting on with that? 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:35.680 Because the trouble for Israel in forgetting who God is and who they are is that they kept bumping into reality. 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:37.279 And it hurts. 00:20:38.060 --> 00:20:40.300 You know, you can only fake the universe for so long. 00:20:41.120 --> 00:20:47.259 You know, imagine a child who thinks that they're a bird and they flap their arms as if they could fly. 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:51.640 They can only do it for so long before they face the harsh reality of what? 00:20:52.040 --> 00:20:52.779 The flaw. 00:20:53.480 --> 00:20:53.920 Gravity. 00:20:54.580 --> 00:20:55.019 Concrete. 00:20:55.019 --> 00:20:57.519 And it comes as a rude awakening. 00:20:57.799 --> 00:20:59.039 Oh, maybe I'm not a bird. 00:20:59.440 --> 00:21:00.319 I cannot fly. 00:21:01.319 --> 00:21:07.839 So for you, if you live in this world as if the story has you at the center and you are the main person, 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:12.940 you will at some point bump into reality, which is that God is at the center. 00:21:13.619 --> 00:21:18.400 He will hold you to account and you will face him one day, just as I will. 00:21:19.379 --> 00:21:22.019 That's problem number one, the first thing to hear. 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:27.359 The first thing to hear is that God's people have forgotten who they are because they've forgotten who God is. 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:32.359 The second thing to hear is verse 10. 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:33.680 Verse 10. 00:21:33.839 --> 00:21:36.319 Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom. 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:43.000 In the beginning of Isaiah 1, Isaiah gives you a bit of historical context to all of this book. 00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:46.720 Isaiah's book, he tells you, spreads the reigns of several of Judah's kings. 00:21:47.359 --> 00:21:49.000 Now, these guys are significant characters. 00:21:49.099 --> 00:21:50.879 We're going to meet them in our series on the way through. 00:21:51.480 --> 00:21:55.439 Isaiah reigned for about 52 years, depending on how exactly you count it. 00:21:55.819 --> 00:21:58.720 And Hezekiah oversaw a renaissance of God's people. 00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:02.240 And temple worship was continuing throughout this time. 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:04.299 Sacrifices were being made. 00:22:04.640 --> 00:22:05.799 The priesthood was functioning. 00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:07.680 They were doing the right things. 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:09.779 But all was not well. 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:15.019 In fact, as you look down at the verses, you realize that God doesn't like their temple worship. 00:22:15.819 --> 00:22:17.700 In verse 10, He calls them to hear. 00:22:17.860 --> 00:22:20.519 And in verse 11, He says, listen, I've had enough. 00:22:20.900 --> 00:22:22.120 I've had enough of your worship. 00:22:22.380 --> 00:22:24.319 I have no pleasure in your sacrifices. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:27.419 He tells them, verse 13, look down at verse 13. 00:22:27.500 --> 00:22:29.500 The language in verse 13 is so direct. 00:22:30.019 --> 00:22:33.519 Stop bringing meaningless offerings, He says. 00:22:34.039 --> 00:22:36.059 Your incense is detestable to me. 00:22:36.460 --> 00:22:38.379 New moons, Sabbaths, and convocations. 00:22:38.539 --> 00:22:40.939 I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. 00:22:41.379 --> 00:22:45.419 Your new moon feasts and your appointed festivals, I hate with all my being. 00:22:46.099 --> 00:22:47.460 They've become a burden to me. 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:48.980 I am weary of bearing them. 00:22:49.659 --> 00:22:54.259 I don't think you can imagine any straighter or more direct words from God, can you? 00:22:55.059 --> 00:22:57.879 I hate them with all my being, He says. 00:22:58.339 --> 00:22:59.440 What a damning verdict. 00:23:00.220 --> 00:23:00.680 Why? 00:23:01.480 --> 00:23:03.099 What is so wrong with them? 00:23:03.660 --> 00:23:05.980 Well, it's not that they're doing them in the wrong way. 00:23:06.059 --> 00:23:06.720 Notice that. 00:23:06.819 --> 00:23:09.140 They're really serious about doing things in the right way. 00:23:09.720 --> 00:23:12.240 It's rather the problem is not with what they're doing. 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:14.119 The problem is with their hearts. 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:15.420 They're hypocrites. 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:20.180 The hands they spread out in prayer in verse 15 are covered in the blood of innocent people. 00:23:21.300 --> 00:23:25.140 They make sacrifices for their sin, but they do not turn from their sin. 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:29.400 So God tells them to stop doing wrong in verse 16. 00:23:29.860 --> 00:23:32.040 Start doing right, verse 17. 00:23:32.500 --> 00:23:33.840 Do justice, he says. 00:23:34.140 --> 00:23:35.800 Stick up for the weak and the vulnerable. 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:41.600 We imagined, didn't we, at the beginning, this is like a conversation between a husband and a wife. 00:23:42.280 --> 00:23:48.340 And having spoken to the wedding guests, the witnesses in verses 1 to 9, he's now looking his wife in the eyes. 00:23:48.339 --> 00:23:54.159 And he says to her, listen, you give me such generous birthday presents. 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:57.339 You know, you always take me out for meals. 00:23:59.779 --> 00:24:01.079 But honestly, I hate them. 00:24:01.759 --> 00:24:04.039 I'd rather not have another meal out with you. 00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:06.939 I'd rather you didn't give me anything for my birthday. 00:24:07.699 --> 00:24:13.059 Because I know as soon as the birthday party is over, you're off to sleep with somebody else. 00:24:13.059 --> 00:24:18.460 I know as soon as we leave the restaurant, you're on your phone, texting somebody else. 00:24:20.359 --> 00:24:25.079 And because you do that, the gifts, they just feel like insults. 00:24:28.299 --> 00:24:32.159 Now notice that these two here's are connected. 00:24:33.460 --> 00:24:36.720 Here that you've forgotten who I am and you've forgotten who you are. 00:24:37.139 --> 00:24:40.960 And here that you're a hypocrite and your worship is just skin deep. 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:42.519 They're connected, aren't they? 00:24:43.059 --> 00:24:48.000 It's because they have forgotten their identity as God's people that they treat others so poorly. 00:24:48.879 --> 00:24:49.759 Think about it. 00:24:50.039 --> 00:24:56.940 If they forget they are God's people, if they're no longer part of God's people, who is everybody else? 00:24:58.599 --> 00:24:59.759 Who is everybody else? 00:25:00.139 --> 00:25:02.059 Well, they're not brothers and sisters, are they? 00:25:02.440 --> 00:25:04.419 They're not fellow citizens of God's people. 00:25:04.899 --> 00:25:06.779 Instead, they're just obstacles in the way. 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:10.419 Instead, they're people to be exploited on the way to the top. 00:25:10.420 --> 00:25:14.660 If they're the center of the story, then everybody else is just in the way. 00:25:15.779 --> 00:25:17.180 They're not worthy of their attention. 00:25:17.360 --> 00:25:18.400 They get nothing from them. 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:27.640 So amazingly, the evidence of people forgetting who God is and forgetting who they are is that they treat others around them really poorly. 00:25:29.019 --> 00:25:32.120 And again, it's not hard, is it, to see the danger of this in our own lives. 00:25:32.420 --> 00:25:38.420 It's possible, isn't it, to come to church, to lift our hands in praise of God, to say amen, to take the Lord's Supper, 00:25:38.420 --> 00:25:41.820 and God to say, I wish you didn't bother. 00:25:42.759 --> 00:25:44.039 I wish you didn't come. 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:46.820 I hate you being here. 00:25:48.300 --> 00:25:52.420 Not because we're doing it wrong, not because we're not wearing the right clothes, or we're not saying the right words, 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:55.560 but because as soon as we get out of this room, we're living a contradiction. 00:25:55.559 --> 00:26:01.799 And we can be really specific, can't we, because Isaiah's concern is not general, it's specific. 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:07.059 His concern is it's the way you treat others, especially the poor and the needed. 00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:12.220 You know, we might say with our lips in church that we love God and that we're part of his people, 00:26:12.440 --> 00:26:15.639 but then in our actions in the week, we'll say, well, I do what I want. 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:17.220 Get out of my way. 00:26:17.220 --> 00:26:21.799 And if it works for us individually, it works for us corporately as well. 00:26:23.360 --> 00:26:28.240 So many churches can think that the whole game is having right doctrine. 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:30.860 That's not it, is it? 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:35.000 It doesn't matter if we have sound doctrine and don't care for one another, 00:26:35.500 --> 00:26:38.279 especially the most needy and the vulnerable amongst us. 00:26:38.759 --> 00:26:40.039 That's super challenging. 00:26:41.059 --> 00:26:44.940 Don't think that God loves churches where the preaching is sound, 00:26:44.940 --> 00:26:47.100 but the hungry among them go unfair. 00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:48.900 Or the lonely are never visited. 00:26:49.259 --> 00:26:50.940 Or the poor are never provided for. 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:52.559 Where love is not genuine. 00:26:53.519 --> 00:26:57.500 You know, sound but cold is not a description that we want for our church. 00:26:59.140 --> 00:27:01.160 So those are the first two here's. 00:27:01.839 --> 00:27:03.839 Here, you've forgotten your identity. 00:27:04.200 --> 00:27:06.120 And here, you're a hypocrite. 00:27:06.360 --> 00:27:07.519 Finally then, come. 00:27:08.039 --> 00:27:08.360 Come. 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:13.360 I want you to imagine that you've been invited back to this wedding, right? 00:27:13.660 --> 00:27:15.120 Imagine you're one of the guests. 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:16.679 And you come back. 00:27:16.739 --> 00:27:19.879 You've received this invitation from the groom to re-witness this wedding. 00:27:20.059 --> 00:27:21.759 And the groom is at the front. 00:27:21.879 --> 00:27:23.879 And first thing he does is he addresses you and says, 00:27:23.939 --> 00:27:25.719 I want you to know what my wife is really like. 00:27:26.239 --> 00:27:28.019 Please listen as I tell you what she does. 00:27:28.500 --> 00:27:30.059 And then he turns to his wife and he says, 00:27:30.419 --> 00:27:31.419 I know what you do. 00:27:31.500 --> 00:27:32.259 I know where you've been. 00:27:32.339 --> 00:27:33.279 I know what you like. 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:36.259 What do you imagine is coming next, right? 00:27:36.819 --> 00:27:40.180 You imagine, don't you, that the husband is going to get the divorce papers out 00:27:40.180 --> 00:27:41.779 and start throwing them at his bride. 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:43.420 That's what you imagine is going to happen. 00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:46.579 And that's what maybe you imagine is going to happen in Isaiah. 00:27:46.799 --> 00:27:48.599 This is the kind of gotcha moment, isn't it? 00:27:48.599 --> 00:27:51.579 When you expect to see the bride's face all kind of, 00:27:51.700 --> 00:27:52.899 I'm undone. 00:27:52.900 --> 00:27:55.720 But instead, see what happens. 00:27:55.900 --> 00:27:56.540 Verse 18. 00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:57.300 Come. 00:27:58.500 --> 00:27:59.620 Let's settle the matter. 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:03.540 Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. 00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:06.500 Though they are as red as crimson, they shall be like wool. 00:28:07.140 --> 00:28:10.320 If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land. 00:28:10.380 --> 00:28:13.040 But if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. 00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:14.759 For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. 00:28:15.700 --> 00:28:17.500 What extraordinary grace. 00:28:18.800 --> 00:28:19.840 What an amazing offer. 00:28:19.839 --> 00:28:23.299 Scarlet red sins washed clean as white snow. 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:25.779 Blood red hands washed of their guilt. 00:28:27.139 --> 00:28:30.759 It's followed, if you look down, by a poem from verses 21 to 26, 00:28:31.039 --> 00:28:34.000 which begins and ends with the words faithful city, 00:28:34.119 --> 00:28:36.720 as the offer of restoration is explained to the people 00:28:36.720 --> 00:28:39.399 how God will chase their sin out of them. 00:28:40.220 --> 00:28:43.980 And really, in a way, these verses read like you're back in the valley of Shechem 00:28:43.980 --> 00:28:47.439 with the blessings for obedience ringing out in verses 24 to 27 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:51.180 and the curses for disobedience in verses 28 to 31. 00:28:52.740 --> 00:28:56.519 And it's like they're getting a second chance. 00:28:57.580 --> 00:28:58.640 Listen, here it is again. 00:28:59.640 --> 00:29:02.400 If you love me and follow me, these are the blessings. 00:29:03.059 --> 00:29:04.900 If you rebel, these are the curses. 00:29:05.940 --> 00:29:07.880 Now, you might hear that and think, well, that's enough, isn't it? 00:29:08.460 --> 00:29:11.120 Wicked people offered a second chance by a gracious God. 00:29:12.180 --> 00:29:13.980 I mean, perhaps that's what you think you need this morning. 00:29:13.980 --> 00:29:17.360 Perhaps you're here this morning thinking, I really just want a second chance. 00:29:17.500 --> 00:29:19.079 I'm here, tomorrow's a new day. 00:29:19.460 --> 00:29:20.920 I'm going to wipe the slate clean. 00:29:21.339 --> 00:29:22.900 I'm just going to try again. 00:29:24.579 --> 00:29:27.940 But if you're really honest, you'll know that you need more than that. 00:29:29.000 --> 00:29:31.539 In fact, if you've read any of the rest of the Old Testament, 00:29:31.960 --> 00:29:35.500 you'll know that the hundreds years of history between Moses and Isaiah, 00:29:35.720 --> 00:29:37.240 they had lots of second chances. 00:29:38.019 --> 00:29:39.299 This isn't really second chance. 00:29:39.299 --> 00:29:41.839 This is more like chance 273. 00:29:43.419 --> 00:29:44.700 Yet none of them work. 00:29:45.200 --> 00:29:46.980 Because continually, the people rebel. 00:29:47.759 --> 00:29:50.899 So much so that the washing white of the scarlet sins is all great. 00:29:51.240 --> 00:29:54.700 But if it's conditional of the obedience of verse 19, as it seems to be, 00:29:54.940 --> 00:29:56.500 the people are stuffed, aren't they? 00:29:57.039 --> 00:29:59.700 Israel have never managed that, not in all their years of history. 00:29:59.980 --> 00:30:01.980 And you and I are no exception, are we? 00:30:01.980 --> 00:30:06.099 Which is why we need to notice that Isaiah has more to say. 00:30:06.920 --> 00:30:11.900 That the come of verse 18 is echoed twice in verses 1 to 5 of chapter 2. 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:14.960 Let me just read those verses to you again. 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:16.960 Look down at verse 1 of chapter 2. 00:30:17.079 --> 00:30:20.360 This is what Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 00:30:20.359 --> 00:30:28.000 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains. 00:30:28.519 --> 00:30:32.439 It will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:34.859 Many peoples will come and say, 00:30:35.039 --> 00:30:39.419 Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. 00:30:39.879 --> 00:30:44.039 He will teach us his ways so that we might walk in his paths. 00:30:44.439 --> 00:30:47.379 The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 00:30:47.380 --> 00:30:51.280 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. 00:30:51.740 --> 00:30:55.960 They will beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks. 00:30:56.220 --> 00:31:00.600 Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 00:31:00.800 --> 00:31:04.680 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord. 00:31:06.000 --> 00:31:10.480 Now I know that we're coming towards the end, and there is work to do to understand these verses, 00:31:10.600 --> 00:31:13.820 but keep your eyes on them because there is great reward in understanding these verses. 00:31:14.920 --> 00:31:16.180 Notice what Isaiah is saying. 00:31:16.180 --> 00:31:20.279 There are days coming, he says, which will be called the last days. 00:31:20.920 --> 00:31:21.779 The last days. 00:31:22.320 --> 00:31:27.200 And in those last days, we are told, the mountain of the temple will be lifted high 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:29.759 so that it is exalted above the other hills. 00:31:30.759 --> 00:31:34.180 In other words, the Mount Sinai, where the law is given, will be overshadowed. 00:31:35.180 --> 00:31:37.840 Mount Gerizim and Ebal of the blessings and the curses, 00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:40.279 they will be overshadowed by this temple mountain. 00:31:40.279 --> 00:31:45.339 And it will be so high and spectacular that not only will God's people be drawn to it, 00:31:45.539 --> 00:31:47.399 but the nations will come as well. 00:31:47.879 --> 00:31:52.139 Many peoples, verse 3, they will say, come, let's go, there's something happening there, 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:53.279 we must see it. 00:31:54.359 --> 00:31:56.599 And notice what's happening from this new mountain. 00:31:56.740 --> 00:31:57.480 God is speaking. 00:31:58.139 --> 00:31:58.799 Verse 3. 00:31:59.160 --> 00:32:00.000 He's there with them. 00:32:00.099 --> 00:32:01.619 His law and his word are going out. 00:32:01.619 --> 00:32:06.419 He's teaching his ways in such a way that the people are able to walk in his ways, verse 3. 00:32:07.419 --> 00:32:08.899 And Isaiah switches out the image. 00:32:09.019 --> 00:32:12.579 And in verse 4, this new temple mountain that's raised up and drawing the nations 00:32:12.579 --> 00:32:17.019 turns out to be a he who is also God's word, 00:32:17.599 --> 00:32:21.679 someone who will settle the national disputes, bring peace and banish war. 00:32:22.859 --> 00:32:25.500 Now, of course, Isaiah is saying more than he knows here. 00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:31.279 The coming he who is like the temple, 00:32:32.059 --> 00:32:33.960 who comes with a new covenant, 00:32:34.660 --> 00:32:36.400 who comes like a new priest, 00:32:36.619 --> 00:32:38.640 who comes with a new word from God, 00:32:38.960 --> 00:32:43.500 one who will eclipse the blessings and the curses of Ebal and Gerizim, 00:32:43.940 --> 00:32:47.799 where no longer will the promises be in the balance of Israel's shaky obedience, 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:49.799 but in the steady hands of God himself. 00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:51.240 Who's he talking about? 00:32:52.039 --> 00:32:52.559 Jesus. 00:32:53.339 --> 00:32:53.799 Jesus. 00:32:53.799 --> 00:32:54.140 Jesus. 00:32:55.500 --> 00:32:55.980 Jesus. 00:32:56.220 --> 00:33:00.180 This high hill in Jerusalem turns out to have a cross on the top of it. 00:33:01.339 --> 00:33:03.539 The new place to meet with God, 00:33:04.140 --> 00:33:07.819 where you are washed clean of your crimson sins. 00:33:08.519 --> 00:33:09.960 And not only that, 00:33:10.339 --> 00:33:14.380 you are given a new heart to love him and live for him. 00:33:15.200 --> 00:33:20.920 Your life is transformed and your sin is washed away through the sacrifice of the Son. 00:33:22.039 --> 00:33:24.440 Now, Isaiah will have loads more to say about this, 00:33:24.440 --> 00:33:26.180 but you see what's happening here. 00:33:27.039 --> 00:33:28.620 You know, you and I have forgotten who we are. 00:33:28.740 --> 00:33:31.039 We're living as if life is all about us. 00:33:31.120 --> 00:33:35.400 We've trodden on the weak and the vulnerable because we've considered ourselves to be more important than them. 00:33:35.720 --> 00:33:37.059 And what does God say? 00:33:37.580 --> 00:33:38.660 He doesn't say, 00:33:38.660 --> 00:33:40.779 go away, I don't want anything more to do with you. 00:33:40.840 --> 00:33:41.920 He says, come. 00:33:42.920 --> 00:33:45.600 Come and I will wash you clean and make you new. 00:33:46.240 --> 00:33:47.940 Come and I will deal with your sin. 00:33:47.940 --> 00:33:54.820 Last Saturday, Andrew and I were knocking some doors locally. 00:33:54.960 --> 00:34:02.120 We knocked on the door of a Muslim man who told us that he couldn't believe in the gospel 00:34:02.120 --> 00:34:06.720 because really if something's worth having, it's worth working for. 00:34:06.820 --> 00:34:07.559 That was his objection. 00:34:07.559 --> 00:34:15.000 I don't like this talk about grace, about God's gift, because it makes it unimportant. 00:34:15.299 --> 00:34:15.400 Right? 00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:19.659 If something is worth having, it must be something that we work towards achieving. 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:22.199 But he was wrong, wasn't he? 00:34:22.199 --> 00:34:27.739 Because actually the hardest thing to do in the world is not try harder. 00:34:28.159 --> 00:34:28.919 You know that, don't you? 00:34:29.379 --> 00:34:31.739 The hardest thing to do in the world is not try harder. 00:34:31.939 --> 00:34:33.480 What's the hardest thing in the world to do? 00:34:34.219 --> 00:34:38.359 The hardest thing in the world is to admit that you cannot do it. 00:34:38.819 --> 00:34:40.059 That's the hardest thing in the world. 00:34:40.559 --> 00:34:47.739 To humbly accept that no matter what you do or how hard you try, you cannot fix it in your own strength. 00:34:47.939 --> 00:34:51.019 That is harder than any moral effort you will try. 00:34:51.019 --> 00:34:55.659 To humbly hear this invitation of God when he says, come. 00:34:56.460 --> 00:34:57.179 Come to me. 00:34:57.759 --> 00:34:59.860 I will solve it for you. 00:35:00.500 --> 00:35:02.079 Come and be my bride again. 00:35:02.679 --> 00:35:08.099 I will love you and wash you clean and give you a new heart that longs to love me and live for my glory. 00:35:08.820 --> 00:35:09.119 Come. 00:35:09.800 --> 00:35:10.559 Come to me. 00:35:13.960 --> 00:35:17.880 Let's pray that the Lord might help us to hear his invitation. 00:35:17.880 --> 00:35:18.599 Let's pray. 00:35:21.019 --> 00:35:43.960 Heavenly Father, as we've listened to your word this morning, we know that we do not deserve to hear the invitation of verse 18. 00:35:43.960 --> 00:35:47.579 Or the transformation of chapter 2. 00:35:48.920 --> 00:35:54.840 But we know that we deserve to be sent away by you, not drawn in by you. 00:35:54.840 --> 00:35:58.880 So how we thank you for your grace and your mercy. 00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:10.440 And I pray that each of us this morning would have the courage and the humility to accept that no matter how hard we try, we cannot fix it in our own strength. 00:36:10.700 --> 00:36:14.800 And we need you to transform us and to forgive us. 00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:19.820 And we thank you that there is a mountain that is higher than all of our efforts. 00:36:21.300 --> 00:36:27.080 It's the mountain of the cross where Jesus died for our sins and offers us new life. 00:36:27.720 --> 00:36:30.720 And so we come to him and we say thank you. 00:36:31.720 --> 00:36:32.500 In his name. 00:36:33.180 --> 00:36:33.560 Amen. 00:36:33.559 --> 00:36:33.759 Amen. 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 00:36:39.779 00:36:39.779 --> 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