There is something majestic about the book of Isaiah.
It asks us to imagine the creation and then the recreation of the entire world.
It evokes the historical periods of the 8th century BC and then into the exile and beyond.
It asks us to imagine that the very heavens and earth are taking part in the drama of Israel's history.
It begins in chapter 1 verse 2 with heaven and earth called to bear witness.
Hear, O heavens, listen, O earth.
And it finishes in verse 22 with a new heaven and a new earth.
As the new heavens and the new earth that I will make endure before me, declares the Lord, so will your name and descendants endure.
And so Isaiah takes us from the beginning of history to the end of all things, from creation to the recreation of God's universe.
It insists that God is doing something for which even the ends of the earth wait.
God has an all-encompassing purpose and it unravels for us page after page in Isaiah.
Of course, in unraveling God's great plans and purpose for his creation of people for all of history,
we naturally get a magnificent vision of God.
God's purposes, his actions reveal God, reveal himself.
And you immediately notice in Isaiah just how great and big this God is.
His plan is all-pervasive.
His rule is all-encompassing.
And if those things don't stagger us, then Isaiah clearly reveals the magnificence of God in passages like chapter 6.
I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Above him were seraphs, each with six wings.
With two wings, they covered their faces.
With two, they covered their feet.
And with two, they were flying.
And they were calling to one another, holy, holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty.
The whole earth is filled with his glory.
And in the last chapter, we are given another glimpse of the grandeur of this God.
This is what the Lord says.
Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool.
It is the only place in the Bible where the earth is described as God's footstool.
It is almost 6,500 kilometers straight through.
It is 40,000 kilometers if you decide to go around.
It weighs something like 6,000,000,000,000 tons.
It has a surface area of 510,000,000 square kilometers, a volume of around 10,000,000,000 cubic kilometers.
It spins at 1,600 kilometers an hour.
And God calls it his footstool.
This is my footstool.
God sits on his throne in the heavens and he rests his feet on the earth.
This is the magnificence of the God that we come to worship this morning.
The God who calls us to tremble at his word.
Of course, the doctrine of God is given a few more clues as you move on into the next verse.
Verse 2.
Everything in this footstool that God calls the earth, that we call the earth, is made by the hand of God.
Everything owes his existence to this God.
He is the God who sits on the throne and rests his feet on the earth.
He is the God who brought all things into being.
The sun.
The moon.
The stars.
The smallest part.
Mount Everest.
The weirdest creature in the depths of the sea.
Delicate flowers.
Noamble fall.
The tallest redwood tree.
The Amazon jungle.
The Kalahari Desert.
The most gorgeous supermodel.
The soaring eagle.
The brightest mind.
The best preacher.
The successful entrepreneur.
The most influential church.
They are just a few of the wonders that he has made.
The whole earth is full of the glory of God.
And yet, as wonderful as all these things are, in this thing that God calls his footstool, there is one thing that draws the gaze of God.
This is the one I esteem.
He who is humble and contrite in the spirit and travels at times.
Having gaze upon the magnificence of this God.
Having gaze upon the magnificence of this God who sits on his throne with his feet resting on the earth.
They do what Isaiah did in chapter 6.
He says,
flows out of a broken and a contrite heart,
a humble heart.
And this is the one who draws the gaze
of the eternal God,
whose feet rest on the earth.
The alternative to true worship
is put before us there in verse 2.
Again, let me read to you.
This is the one I esteem.
He who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word,
but whoever sacrifices a bull
is like one who kills a man,
whoever offers a lamb like one who breaks a dog's neck,
whoever makes a grain offering like one who presents pig's blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways
and their souls delight in their abominations.
A humble and contrite heart and a trembling
at the word of God has been exchanged for a worship,
a false worship,
which is equal to religion and rituals and rites.
This is the people of God
that is spoken about here in Isaiah 66.
Not the pagan nations.
They didn't listen.
They didn't tremble at the word of God.
They didn't bow in humble submission to God and his purposes.
And they went their own way.
They did evil and they chose what displeases God
and it was hidden.
Their evil was hidden under the veneer of worship.
Now, of course, Isaiah is not against worship here in these verses.
He wasn't against sacrifices.
He wasn't against the temple.
In fact, the rebuilding of the temple
occupied the people of God for the best part of 20 years.
And when they slackened off in rebuilding the temple,
he sent prophets to tell them,
don't slacken off and get going with it.
Yet in these verses,
the temple and their rituals and religion
are spoken of with extreme reserve.
The temple was a good thing.
But Isaiah was painfully aware,
painfully aware of the capacity of human beings to misuse it,
to focus on the temple and its rituals and its rites
and not the God of the temple.
He was aware of the human tendency to exchange true worship,
true, humble, God-honoring worship within pure worship,
a worship that is wrapped up in performing rituals
and minimum effort and minimal reflection.
Isaiah understood very well
that physical restoration of the temple was not enough.
Spiritual restoration was what was needed.
Spiritual renewal,
unless they had spiritual renewal,
the future would just simply rehash the sins of the past.
Isaiah was not against the temple.
He was against ecclesiasticism,
that ugly distortion of true worship
worship of God does not flow out of the heartfelt contrition before God.
For God,
no matter what building it's in,
no matter what form it takes,
what order it takes,
no matter how seamless the transitions,
how well it is read,
no matter how great the singing or accurate the theology
or historically sensitive,
it becomes no better than pagan superstition.
And it angers God
and it calls forth
His righteous judgment.
And so there is a warning here
in Isaiah 66.
It is so easy to exchange true worship
for false worship.
On the surface,
it may look like the same.
The warning here is like Israel,
we can hide our evil
and our refusal to listen
and obey the word of God
in beautiful worship.
In beautiful worship.
Worship.
False worship
becomes a substitute
for listening to God,
to faith in God,
to obedient,
trembling at His word
and the pursuit of His purposes.
The warning here is not to box God
within the building,
not to box God
within a few religious activities,
potentially good activities,
but true worship
is all of life
at the feet of the one
on whose feet
He rests on the earth.
The feet of this God
in humble,
contrite submission.
True worship,
my friends,
is God's grand design
for His universe.
True worship is what
God wants for us.
God's plan
for the world
that He's made,
the world that He calls
His footstool,
is that people would see
His glory
and gather to Him
and bow at His feet
who sit on the earth.
Throughout all history
and eternity to come,
God's design for people
is worship.
The worship of Him
in humble submission.
As it says in verse 22,
As the new heavens
and the new earth
that I will make
endure before me,
so will your name
and descendants endure.
From one new moon
to another
and from one Sabbath
to another,
all mankind
will come
and bow down
before me
at my feet.
in humble submission.
In the new heavens
and the new earth,
the redeemed
of the entire
human race
will offer
unending worship
at the feet
of their Creator.
It's the place
we call heaven.
Isaiah leaves us
in no doubt
at all
that the key
to God's purpose
is God's perfect King,
the Lord Jesus Christ
and how eloquently
and simply
the Apostle John
puts it
in John chapter 12,
Isaiah saw
Jesus' glory
and spoke
about Him.
You see,
the invincible
purpose of God
is that the gospel
of the glory
of Christ
spread to all
the peoples
of the world
so that they might
come and bow
in worship,
in humble submission
to this God.
It's everywhere
in the Bible.
It's the promise
of Philippians 2
who being in very
nature God,
speaking about Jesus here,
being in very
nature God,
did not consider
equality with God
something to be grasped
but made himself
nothing,
taking the very
nature of a servant,
being made in human
likeness and being
found in appearance
as a man.
He humbled himself
and became obedient
to death,
even death on a cross
and therefore God
exalted him
to the highest place,
put him on a throne
that is,
and gave him the name
that is above every name
that at the name
of Jesus
every knee should bow
and every tongue
confess
that Jesus
Christ
is Lord
to the glory
of God the Father.
It was the promise
of the Old Testament,
Psalm 22,
all the ends
of the earth
will remember
and turn to the Lord
and the families
of the nations
will bow down
before him
for dominion
belongs to the Lord
and he rules
over all the nations.
It was the promise
of Jesus
to his disciples
in Matthew 24
and this gospel
of the kingdom
will be preached
in the whole world
as a testimony
to all nations
and the end
will come.
It was the design
of the cross
according to Revelation 5
and they sang
a new song,
you are worthy
to take the scroll
and to open its seal
because you were slain
and with your blood
you purchased men
for God
from every tribe
and language
and people
and nation.
It was the final command
of the risen
all authority
of Christ
according to Matthew 28.
Then Jesus came to them
and said
all authority
in heaven
and on earth
has been given to me
therefore go
and make disciples
of all nations
baptizing them
in the name
of the Father
and the Son
and the Holy Spirit
and teaching them
to obey everything
I have commanded you
and surely
I am with you always
to the very ends
of the age.
It was the design
sorry
it was the divine purpose
of the sending
and filling
of the Holy Spirit
according to Acts 1
but you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit
comes on you
and you will be
my witnesses
in Jerusalem
in all Judea
and Samaria
to the ends
of the earth.
The invincible
purpose of God
is that the gospel
of the glory
of Christ
spread to the peoples
of this world
that they might come
and they might see
the glory of Christ
and bow at his feet
in humble contrition.
This is God's
grand design
for his world.
It always has been
and it always will be
and the task
is not yet done.
2,000 years
after Jesus
gave his great commission
to his disciples
6,645
of the world's
16,350
people groups
are either
barely reached
or not reached
at all.
that equates
to
approximately
40.1%
of this world
which equates
to 2.84
billion people
who have either
never heard of Jesus
or the witness
of Christ
is even barely
there at all.
Why?
After 20
centuries
is the task
not
finished?
It's not because
of the lack
of money.
I want to say
it's because
we've got too much.
The comforts
of the West
have made us
soft
and cautious
and fearful
and indulgent
and self-protecting
instead of tough
and risk-taking
and bold
and self-controlled
and self-sacrificing.
You see
many of these
least reached
6,645
peoples
are religiously
unsympathetic
to Christian
missions.
That means
that we need
to go to
these people
with the gospel
and it will
be dangerous
and it will
be costly
to finish
this task
some of us
and some
of our children
need to be
killed.
but we
are so
infatuated
with our
comforts
and our
securities
that we
have exchanged
true worship
and God's
agenda for
false worship
and we
hide our
sinfulness
by a
veneer
of temple
worship.
that is
what Israel
did
and they
were judged
for it.
They had
their temple
and their
rituals
and they
didn't care
a rip
about the
nations.
and so
let us
not forget
the somber
word of
Jesus
in John
chapter 12.
I tell you
the truth
unless a
kernel of
wheat falls
to the
ground
and dies
it remains
only a
single
seed
but if
it dies
it produces
many seeds
the man
who loves
his life
will lose
it
while the
man who
hates his
life in
this world
will keep
it for
eternal
life.
In other
words
a fruitful
life
and an
eternal
life
come
from
this
dying
like a
grain
of
wheat
and
hating
your
life
in
this
world.
More
and more
I am
persuaded
by the
scriptures
that God's
design for
the completion
of his
global
plan
and the
consummation
of his
purposes
includes
the suffering
of his
people.
To put it
more plainly
and specifically
God's
plan
is that
his purpose
triumph
through the
suffering
of his
people.
I don't
just mean
that the
suffering
is a
consequence
of being
obedient to
God's
mission.
I mean
that suffering
is one of
Christ's
strategies
for the
success
of his
mission.
Jesus
said to
his
disciples
as he
sent
them
out
in
Matthew
10
I am
sending
you
out
like
sheep
amongst
wolves.
There is
no doubt
what happens
to sheep
in the
midst
of wolves
and Paul
confirmed
the reality
for us
in Romans
8
as it is
written
for your
sake
we face
death
all day
long.
We are
considered
as sheep
to be
slaughtered.
And Jesus
continues
in Matthew
chapter 10
be on
your guard
against
men
they will
hand you
over to
the local
councils
and flog
you in
their
synagogues.
On my
account
you will
be brought
before governors
and kings
as witnesses
to them
and to the
Gentiles.
Did you
notice there
that the
witness before
the governors
and kings
is not
merely a
result or
a consequence
it is a
design.
you will
be brought
before governors
and kings
as
a witness
to them.
Suffering
was not
just a
consequence
of our
Lord's
obedience
and his
mission
it was
the central
strategy
of his
mission.
Jesus
calls us
to join
him on
the Calvary
road
to take
up our
cross
to hate
our lives
in this
world
to fall
to the
ground
like a
seed
and die
that others
might
live.
We are
not above
our
master.
To be
sure our
suffering
does not
atone for
anyone's
sins
but it
is a
deeper
way of
doing
mission
than we
realize.
And unless
we think
this way
of saying
it aligns
it,
the suffering
work of
God's
people too
closely,
to the
suffering
of our
Savior,
listen to
the decisive
word on
this from
Paul,
Colossians
chapter 1,
now I
rejoice in
what was
suffered for
you and
I fill up
in my
flesh what
is still
lacking in
regard to
Christ's
afflictions for
the sake of
his body
which is the
church.
In his
sufferings,
Paul is
filling up
what is
lacking in
Christ's
afflictions for
the church.
Not that
Paul's
suffering
atones for
sin or
propitiates
wrath,
or vindicates
divine justice
in passing
over sins
as Jesus'
death did,
but they
show the
unreached
peoples of
the world
the sufferings
of Christ.
Paul's
missionary
suffering is
God's
design to
complete the
sufferings of
Christ by
making them
more visible
and personal
and precious
to those to
whom he
died.
God, what
I'm saying
is this,
that when
a prosperity
preacher flies
his private
jet into a
poverty-stricken
country to
preach the
gospel and
promise the
poor that if
they believe in
Jesus, they
will be rich.
They are not
just getting a
few things
wrong, they
are destroying
the very
foundations of
the gospel.
And so I
say this very
sober word
to myself,
to you,
some of my
brothers and
sisters,
some Pauls,
who love
their comforts
and their
securities
and are
consistently
tempted with
them,
God's plan
is that his
gospel-spreading
purpose triumph
through the
suffering of
his people.
At the
heart of
true biblical
missions,
both for
those who
go and
those who
stay, is
an eagerness
to live
simply and
to give
lavishly and
to suffer in
doing it.
At the
heart of
true biblical
missions is
suffering, not
merely as a
result of
proclamation, but
as the
means of
proclamation.
Unless a
grain of
wheat falls
to the
ground and
dies, it
remains only
a single
seed, but
if it
dies, it
produces
many seeds.
things.
On
holidays,
recently I
read a
biography on
the life of
Adoniram
Judson.
I'm very
pleased to
know that
Nick and
Sam have
named
little
Judson
after this
man.
When
Judson,
not this
one,
Adoniram
Judson,
entered
Burma in
July 1813,
it was
hostile and
utterly
unreached
place.
It
probably
would have
been
considered a
closed
country
today.
All the
previous
missionaries
had died
or had
left, but
Judson went
there with
his 23-year-old
wife of 17
months.
He was
24 years
old and he
worked there
for 38
years with
only one
trip home
after he'd
been there
for 33
years.
He never
saw his
parents or
his brothers
again.
And the
price he
paid in
that 38
years was
immense.
His
suffering
was
immense.
He was a
grain of
wheat that
fell to
the ground
and died
and oh
how often
he died.
He died
to the
prestige of
being offered
the best
pulpit in
Boston.
He died
to his
personal
like of
cleanliness
and hygiene.
He died
to good
food,
clean water
and a
comfortable
environment.
He died
to the
prospects of
wealth and
the trappings
of wealth.
He allowed
his two
wives and
his six
children to
die.
He was
in prison
for nearly
two years
with his
feet hanging
in the sky
and having
rats eat
his head
at night.
and after
38 years
of church
planning,
of translating
the Bible
for the
Burmese
church and
writing an
English Burmese
dictionary for
future
missions and
his many,
many deaths
day in,
day out,
at 15 minutes
after 4 on
Friday afternoon,
April 12,
1815,
he finally
died one
last time.
At sea,
away from
his family,
all alone,
on a ship
full of
godless sailors
and away
from his
Burmese
church.
That evening,
the ship
pulled up,
the crew
assembled
quietly,
there were
no prayers,
no Bible
readings,
the captain
gave the
order,
the door
was opened,
his coffin
was slid
into the
sea,
latitude
13 degrees
north,
longitude
90 degrees
south,
a few
hundred
miles away
from Burma
and the
ship sailed
on.
An end
of a life.
And I
read that
and I
said,
it can't
be.
But God's
purpose was
done.
The Bible
was translated,
the dictionary
was done,
hundreds of
converts
were now
leading the
church in
Burma
and estimates
today are
that Myanmar's
Baptist
Convention
to have
4,530
congregations
with 1.14
million members
and 1.72
million affiliates.
The fruit
of one
dead
seed.
What a
life.
Unless a
seed of
grain falls
to the ground
and dies,
it remains
only a
single seed.
But if it
dies, it
produces many
seeds.
And so,
my brothers and
sisters, the
question is not
whether you
will die,
but whether
you will die
in a way
that bears
much fruit.
Life is
fleeting.
Life is
fleeting.
And God
calls us to
give up the
comforts of
this world.
In a very
short time,
we will all
give an
account before
Jesus Christ
to how
well we
have obeyed
the command
to make
disciples of
all nations,
amongst other
things.
The very
last verse
of Isaiah
is meant to
serve as a
sober warning
to the people
of God,
in fact.
Anyone who
wants to
reject God
and his
purposes,
and they
will go
out and
look upon
the dead
bodies of
those who
rebelled
against me,
their worm
will not
die,
nor will
their fire
be quenched,
and they
will be
loathsome
to all
mankind.
And so
we sit
here in
2011,
and many
of the
peoples of
this world
are without
any indigenous
Christian
movement.
Christ is
not enthroned
there.
His grace
is not
known there.
And people
are perishing
with no
access to
the gospel.
people.
And most
of those
hopeless
people do
not want
you to
come.
At least
they don't
think they
do.
They are
hostile to
Christian
missions.
And the
word of
our Lord
still stands.
I am
sending you
out like
sheep amongst
wolves.
believers.
And so I am
asking you
today not
to love
what this
world loves
and to
suffer by
either going
to those
people, and I
pray that there
will be many
of us who
will, go,
or by
suffering
in staying
and giving
up your
securities
for the
sake of
God's
grand design
for his
people, that
people from
every tribe,
language and
nation come
at his feet
and bow
before this
great king.
We've set a
mission target
of $125,000
this year.
Is it
big?
Well, it's
bigger than
last year.
And the
only reason we
won't reach
it is not
because of
lack of
money.
It's because
our hearts
are not
aligned with
God's
heart.
That's the
only reason
we won't
reach it.
And so I've
asked you to
be prayerful.
You've heard
the word of
God.
And now I
encourage you
to tremble
before the
word of God
and to fill
out your
pledge card.
Nick is
going to
come up
and he's
going to
play some
music while
we do
this.
If you
haven't got a
pledge card,
wave your
hand and the
ushers will
come and give
you a pledge
card.
So stick your
hand up and
they'll give you
a pledge card.
Nick's going to
play.
I'm going to
ask you to
fill out the
card.
Then the
ushers are
going to come
and collect
the cards
and then
I'm going
to pray.
Amen.
Stop
doing
more
and
back into
your
hearts
or
go
and
out
close
Kansas
and
hear
each
oher
and
hear
through
his
and
hear
the
頓
of
hope
Thank you.
We declare your name above all names.
Oh, the gospel, he became our sin.
Oh, bring worship made acceptable in him.
The treasures on earth will fall.
Put Christ above them all.
We treasure you, Jesus, above all things.
We do, we do treasure you.
We're daily taking up the cross of Christ.
We're fully free to live and sacrifice.
Glory, glory to the risen King.
Holy, holy earth and heaven will bow to him.
The treasures on earth will fall.
Put Christ above them all.
We treasure you, Jesus, above all things.
We depend on Jesus for everything.
We treasure you.
Yeah, we do, we do treasure you.
That's it.
Thank you.
Let's bow our heads.
I'm going to pray.
If you're still filling out your pledge card, you can bring it in after the service.
These boxes will be here.
and I'm going to use a prayer of David from 1 Chronicles 29.
Let's pray.
Praise be to you, O Lord God of our Father Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory
and the majesty and the splendor.
For everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom.
You are exalted as head over all.
Wealth and honor come from you.
You are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.
Now, O Lord, give thanks.
We give thanks to you and praise your glorious name.
But who am I?
And who are these people that we should be able to give like this?
Father, everything comes from you and we have only given you what comes from your hand.
We are aliens and strangers in your sight.
Our life is fleeting as we're all of our forefathers.
Our days on earth are like a shadow without hope.
O Lord, our God, for all this abundance that we have provided,
that your name might go to the ends of the earth.
It has only come from your hand and it belongs to you.
I know, Father, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.
And all these things that we have willingly given with honest intent.
And now, Lord, may it be a great joy amongst your people.
There might be an ongoing willingness amongst your people to continue to pursue your purpose.
Keep the desire in our hearts, Father, for the unreached peoples of this world,
for those who are lost.
Help us to continue to have your purpose and that we might be loyal to your purpose consistently.
They might be in front of us all of our days.
Give us a wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, your requirements and your decrees
and that we would do everything within our power, Father, to finish the Great Commission.
And we ask it for your glory.
Amen.