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Restoring True Worship – part 2
Isaiah 66:1-24 (1-4)
January 5, 2025

Tonight we want to jump back in to our study on worship as we look at Isaiah 66.

We are calling the chapter “Restoring True Worship” since that is what is occurring here.

The chapter begins with God’s disdain for hypocritical worship in verse 1-4.
We see God’s future judgment of idolatry in verses 15-17.
And we see the world return to true worship in verses 23-24.

And this morning we really just introduced the topic of worship.

I would remind you that true worship is a bending of the will to God.
It is manifested in obedience.
It is shown when we obey God over and above any other influence.

Sometimes worship is expressed as people bowing their head or raising their hands, but in reality those are only meant to be outward expressions of inward realities.

To bow the head but not the heart is unacceptable to God.
And we saw many Old Testament prophets this morning that revealed that very thing to us.

So tonight let’s begin looking at our text and God’s announcement of His plan to restore true worship in the world.

We will divide the text into 4 main points.

#1 HYPOCRISY WILL BE REJECTED
Isaiah 66:1-4

It is obvious that God is here about to expose hypocritical religion.

He makes the statement in verse 3, “But he who kills an ox is like one who slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb is like the one who breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering is like one who offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense is like the one who blesses an idol.”

The comparison obviously throughout verse 3 is that hypocritical religion is as offensive to God as pagan religion.

A Jewish man, following the prescription of Leviticus, offering an ox to God may not be any more pleasing to God than a man who commits murder.

A Jewish man, offering to God a lamb as a sacrifice, may not be any more pleasing to God than one who offers a dog with a broken neck on the altar.

A Jewish man, offering a grain offering to God might not be any more pleasing than one who pours swine’s blood on God’s altar.

A Jewish man, burning incense to God might not be any more pleasing than one who praises a false god.

And that may be shocking to you.
After all, we are all tempted to think that there is some value in our liturgical traditions.

I mean surely going to church is better before God than going to the bar right?

Surely God is more pleased with me when I put money in the offering plate than if I had gone gambling at the casino isn’t He?

And the answer God will give, is a resounding “NO!”

The revelation here is that neither are pleasing to God.

It is the consistent calling of God to get His people to understand that the LORD looks at the heart.

Proverbs 21:27 “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, How much more when he brings it with evil intent!”

And just take a moment and recall to your mind all of those passages we read this morning from the prophets where God specifically said that He hated their sacrifices.

We have got to get this through our heads.
God does not desire some outward form of worship.

The religious works we typically associate as pleasing to God…
Church attendance
Prayer
Giving to the offering
Singing
Bible reading

If those things are merely outward and not a reflection of a worshiping heart then they are no more pleasing to God than the immoral living of the pagan.

And I realize that sounds shocking because we put so much emphasis on the value of our works, but it is true.

Clearly in these verses God is outlining His disdain for hypocritical worship.

He even goes so far as to say that He will punish it.

(3b-4) “As they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, So I will choose their punishments And will bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.”

God simply says that since they did what they wanted instead of what I wanted, then I will do what I want with them.

I will punish them.

Why?
“Because I called, but no one answered;”
“I spoke, but they did not listen.”

They brought their ox, but they ignored My word.
They brought their sheep, but they disobeyed My command.
They burned incense, but they rejected My call.

You don’t get to disregard the authority of God and still get credit for having worshiped.

It is not pleasing to God just to go through the outward routines of religion if the heart is not right before Him.

We see that over and over in Scripture.

But here, in the opening verses of chapter 66 we see that even though God addresses things like their sacrifices, there is one issue that He is focusing on more than any other.

Namely that these people want to build God a house of worship.

You see it in the second half of verse 1.
“Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?”

I think this is so relevant to our day, and so fitting even to the current state of Israel.

How many Jews today would delight in the rebuilding of a temple to God?
How many would think they were doing God a real favor by rebuilding His temple?

And it is as though God speaks to them even today as He questions the purpose of it all.

You want to build Me a house so I can rest?
You want to build Me a temple so you can offering sacrifices?
You want to build Me a temple to burn incense?

Seriously?

As if God would be pleased with the sacrifices.
As if God would be pleased with the incense.

And here is the key to understanding this.

God doesn’t see the temple as a place to worship Him, God sees the temple they want to build as a place to contain and control Him.

Men love temples because it is a way to contain and compartmentalize God.

Remember Jeremiah’s day?
Jeremiah 7:8-11 “Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail. “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery and swear falsely, and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before Me in this house, which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered!’—that you may do all these abominations? “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the LORD.”

See they just wanted a place to put God.
They didn’t want Him at the work place on Monday.
They didn’t want Him at the basketball gym on Tuesday.
They didn’t want Him at the bar on Friday.

So let’s build God a temple that will contain Him and that way we can get all cleaned up before we go before Him.

It is absolutely an abominable way of thinking!

God is not interested.

And let’s see why.

As we talk about worship, certainly some portion of our focus must be on the God who deserves the worship.

And that is how verse 1 begins.

To look at this really helps us understand how pitiful our legalistic worship is.

Look at the statement of God about Himself.

“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.”

Let’s think on that for a moment.

I think our first and most obvious observation would have to be in regard to THE SIZE OF GOD.

Suppose today I told you of a giant.
Like you read in those Fairy Tale books.

And I told you of a giant so big that he sits over there on the hill overlooking Swenson park, and he props his feet up on our church.

This entire building would be nothing more than an ottoman to him.
Imagine the size of such a creature.
We would say, “He is huge!”
We would certainly tremble in fear of such a man.
He would terrify us, and we would feel powerless to deal with him.

And that understanding pales in comparison to what God reveals about Himself.

“Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool.”

That is unfathomable to us.
How big is God that the entire planet is nothing more than a footstool to Him?

Isaiah gave us a picture earlier:
Isaiah 40:12 “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens by the span, And calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?”

Can you imagine such a One?
He is huge!

Jeremiah 23:24 “Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.”

Job 11:7-11 “Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? “They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? “Its measure is longer than the earth And broader than the sea. “If He passes by or shuts up, Or calls an assembly, who can restrain Him?”

We are simply talking about a God who is huge!
He is utterly terrifying!
He is absolutely uncontainable!

And it is your plan to build a temple to put Him in?

Even Solomon knew better than that:
1 Kings 8:27 “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built!”

Paul told the Athenians:
Acts 17:24-25 “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;”

What a consistent mistake of humanity to think that they can somehow contain God.

As though you can build Him some kind of a temple, and then keep Him locked in there where He is unaware of what you do in the world, but always available whenever you need a favor.

All you have to do is provide God some nice little house and then bring Him an ox ever so often and He’ll be ready to do whatever you want.

It is utter nonsense.
God cannot be kept in a box.
God cannot be contained.

He is omnipresent, and nothing is hidden from His sight.

But that is not all the statement brings to mind.

We certainly key in on the word “throne” and thereby understand His authority.

“Heaven is My throne” God says.

This enormous God of the universe doesn’t just dwell in it, He reigns over it.

Deuteronomy 4:39 “Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.”

Deuteronomy 10:14 “Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.”

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. “Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.”

Psalms 24:1 “The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, The world, and those who dwell in it.”

Psalms 89:11 “The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all it contains, You have founded them.”

We are talking about the One who reigns over it all.
He is sovereign over all creation.

He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good.
He sends rain on the just and the unjust.
It is He who causes the deer to calve.
It is He who feeds the lions.

Nothing occurs outside of His sovereign prerogative.
He reigns over it all.

And your plan is to put Him inside the temple and reduce His rule to only what occurs at church?

Is it your plan to reduce God’s reign to only what happens in religious circles, while you control the rest of your destiny?

Your plan is really to put God in a box and limit the sphere of His authority.

Not hardly!

God reigns over it all.
He is in charge of it all.

And certainly we understand the significance of the word “My” in that statement.

“Heaven is MY throne and the earth is MY footstool.”

It teaches us not to presume upon those things as though they belonged to us.

You may remember what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:33-35 “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is THE CITY OF THE GREAT KING.”

God not only reigns over all of it, He owns all of it.
It is His.

We are the guests here, not Him.
We are the tenants, not Him.

And therefore it is God who allows us to dwell upon it, not us who allow God to dwell with us.

Exodus 19:5 “‘Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;”

And the opening point here from God is simple:
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO IT IS YOU ARE ADDRESSING?

Isaiah certainly figured it out back in Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6:5 “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

Peter figured it out that day on the shore:
Luke 5:8 “But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”

John was reminded of it on the Island of Patmos:
Revelation 1:17 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.”

We think of those present at Mt. Sinai
Exodus 20:18-19 “All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.”

But these people are going to build God a house.

They have no idea who they are dealing with.

It is absurd to think that we could build God a little temple here on earth by which we will contain Him, restrict Him, and keep Him at our beck and call.

God Himself resists such foolishness.

And based on the revelation of Himself He asks:
“Where then is a house you could build for Me?”

Where do you think you are going to put Me?

But it’s more even than just sticking God in a house to contain Him.

God understands their purpose and their motive.

He asks:
“And where is the place that I may rest?”

There it is!
You understand the reference to “rest” right?

Genesis 2:1-3 “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

Rest denotes a state of God being fully satisfied.
The work was finished.
There was nothing left to do.

And God rested.

For us it carries foreshadows of atonement.
For it is Christ who said, “It is finished!” and “sat down at the right hand of the majesty on High”

To denote rest for God denotes the satisfaction of His holiness.
It is the appeasement of His wrath.

It is the propitiation which only occurs in Christ, for “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

And God here addresses a people who have the strangest idea.

They are going to build this house (in which God won’t fit)
They’re going to offer it to God (as though He doesn’t own all things)
They’re going to give Him this small realm of authority (as though He is not sovereign over all)
And they’re going to bring Him an ox or a sheep to settle Him down so He can be at rest there.

Think about that.

The omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient God.
The God who reigns in perfect holiness.

And your plan to satisfy Him and appease Him and to put Him to rest is to build a temple, and bring a goat to it so that He will be able to rest?

That is the plan?

As we saw this morning, the prophets continually noted the absurdity of such a plan.

Micah 6:6-8 “With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Psalms 50:7-12 “Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. “I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. “For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. “I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains.”

God later saying:
Psalms 50:13-15 “Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats? “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

Paul reminding the Athenians:
Acts 17:25 “nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;”

There is nothing God could want that He can’t supply.

(2) “For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD.”

He doesn’t need you building Him a house and bringing Him a sheep to calm Him down.

He is not some pagan deity that can be so easily contained or appeased.

He is the holy God of the universe and such a plan is stupid.

God has said what He will accept.

(2b) “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”

God wants worship…true worship.
God wants the one who bows the will to Him.

He is not interested in a house…
He is not interested in a goat…
He is not interested in incense…
He is not interested in a song…

HE WANTS YOUR HEART.

And if you bring Him everything else, but not that, He will not be pleased.

(3-4) “But he who kills an ox is like one who slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb is like the one who breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering is like one who offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense is like the one who blesses an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, So I will choose their punishments And will bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.”

You see His point don’t you?

He is not some gullible God who can be so easily tricked by our phony worship display.

He is not some giddy school girl who will believe you love Him just because you sang those words out of a hymnal.

He is Lord of Heaven and Earth and He knows those whose heart is fully His.

He will not accept some surface-level worship.
He wants the heart.
He wants the bending of the will.

Hypocritical worship will be rejected.

And what will be accepted?
“But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”

That’s certainly worth examining.

“humble” is the Hebrew word AWNI
It means “poor; lowly; wretched”

In the New Testament Jesus described it as being “poor in spirit” or spiritually bankrupt.

It is a keen awareness that I have nothing to bring.
It is a keen awareness that I have nothing God wants.

I am fallen and wretched and poor and miserable and blind and naked.
I have corrupted everything I have ever touched.
I would be nothing but a blemish in God’s courts.

It is the heart of that tax collector “standing some distance away, unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven, saying, ‘God be merciful to me the sinner.’”

That is the person God is willing to accept.

He also mentions one who is:
“contrite of spirit”

“contrite” is the Hebrew word MAW-KEN
It means “crippled, afflicted, broken”

Remember Saul’s son Mephibosheth?
2 Samuel 9:3 “The king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.”

This is the man who has nothing to offer and no means of bringing it even if he did.

If God were to attack, this man couldn’t appease God or escape Him.
He is helpless and hopeless.

His body is broken…
His sheep is smelly…
His incense is rotten…
His money is gone…

He has nothing of value to offer God and he knows it.

And God will look to that person.

He also mentions one who:
“trembles at My word”

“trembles” is KHA-RADE

Ezra 9:4 “Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.”

Ezra 10:3 “So now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law.”

It is a holy fear.

That filthy beggar with nothing to offer and no way to escape understands the danger he is in before a holy God.

And this is the one to whom God will look.

God delights in mercy, but only when you really know you need it.
God delights in grace, but only when you are aware of how valuable it is.
God delights in compassion, but only when you know you don’t deserve it.

But when you are poor and broken and trembling, God is pleased to save.

God will not be deceived.
He will not accept less than your total submission to Him.

Mark 12:28-34 “One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.”

Do you understand that?
Do you understand the type of worship God accepts and the type He rejects?

How about if I ask you about your humility?
Do you know that you have nothing to offer?

How about if I ask you about your weakness?
Do you know that you cannot escape the presence of God?

How about if I ask you about your trembling?

Do you tremble before God?
Do you fear Him?

Look, there is a warning here, and one which we see even in the New Testament.

The warning is that you be careful that your worship of Him does not replace humility, weakness, and trembling with some sort of complacent religious ceremony.

Listen to the writer of Hebrews:
Hebrews 3:7-12 “Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. “THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’ ” Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”

How did those people in the wilderness fall away from God?
They didn’t leave the wilderness…
They didn’t quit going through the motions of religion…

They tried God and tested God and refused to fear God.
They did their own thing and tried to relegate God to some corner of their lives.

They withheld their heart from Him.
They refused to bend their will to Him.
God saw that as apostasy and it made all their other religion useless in His eyes.

The writer of Hebrews goes on:
Hebrews 3:16-19 “For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.”

These were people whom God delivered out of Egypt.
These were people whom God fed in the wilderness.
And yet God was so angry at their lack of humility and contrition and trembling that He refused to let them enter the land of promise.

Do you see the warning there?

Here it is:
Hebrews 4:1-2 “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”

There is the warning!
You need to heed the good news of God.
You need to believe the good news of God.
You need to obey the good news of God.
You need to tremble before Him and submit to Him.

And do not think that you can substitute a little church attendance on the weekends for that kind of devotion.

God rejects it.

In fact the book of Hebrews is filled with those types of warnings:

Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Or again:
Hebrews 12:25 “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.”

You see the danger don’t you.

And let me show it to you with Israel.
They insisted on giving God ritual instead of true humility.
They rejected God’s Christ in favor of their own religion.

And what did God do?
He REJECTED their worship.
In fact, He rejected them.

Israel was broken off.

And it was Stephen who told them why.

Listen to this:
Acts 7:47-53 “But it was Solomon who built a house for Him. “However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: ‘HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?’ says the Lord, ‘OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY REPOSE? ‘WAS IT NOT MY HAND WHICH MADE ALL THESE THINGS?’ “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did. “Which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become; you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.”

Did you hear what Stephen quoted to them just before he exposed their futile worship?

He quoted Isaiah 66:1-2.
He told them that God rejected their worship and He rejected them for giving it.

Learn lesson #1 about worship.

HYPOCRISY WILL BE REJECTED

If you are playing games with God.
If you are going through the motions thinking no one sees.
If you are living for yourself 6 days a week and then coming here on Sunday and thinking you’ve done a good thing.
If you have everyone fooled.

You don’t have God fooled.
He is not some puny, pathetic, short-sighted idol that you can cram in a temple and keep Him in the dark.

And He will not be mocked!

Your only hope is to humble yourself before Him, to confess your weakness, to tremble at His presence as you submit yourself to Him and beg for His mercy.

John 4:23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”

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Restoring True Worship – part 1
Isaiah 66:1-24
January 5, 2025

This morning we come to the end, the final chapter of the book of Isaiah.

MY INITIAL PLAN was to try to wrap this up by Christmas, and then by New Years so we could have “Missions Month” in January, but there is just no value in speeding through something.

We’re going to be a couple more weeks finishing up Isaiah and then we’ll jump into Missions Month and our focus on that great mandate.

But first…Isaiah 66.

I have titled the message of this chapter, “Restoring True Worship”.
If you read the chapter, you will see that this is precisely what is occurring.

We begin in the first 4 verses with God lamenting hypocritical worship.
• He isn’t looking for temple builders…
• He isn’t looking for ox killers…
• He isn’t looking for incense burners…
• He is looking for people who fear and obey Him.

(2b-3a) “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word. “But he who kills an ox is like one who slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb is like the one who breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering is like one who offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense is like the one who blesses an idol.”

Incidentally, there is a bit of a parallel here,
For the way Isaiah begins this final chapter
Is indeed the same way Isaiah began the entire book.

We all remember back to Isaiah 1 where we saw that “State of the Union” address and where God exposed and rebuked the hypocritical worship of the people.

Isaiah 1:11-15 “What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. “When you come to appear before Me, Who requires of you this trampling of My courts? “Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. “I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”

That was the problem wasn’t it?
• Their worship was bad.
• Their worship was unacceptable.

Isaiah started his ministry preaching about it,
And here in this final chapter he brings it up again.

But this chapter doesn’t end with bad worship,
This chapter ENDS with true worship.

(23) “And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD.”

So you could say that in some ways
This chapter follows the theme of the entire ministry of Isaiah.

It is a confrontation of bad worship, and the revelation of
How God is going to bring about true worship.

And, even though I had planned to perhaps be finished with Isaiah by now,
What a glorious way to BEGIN THE NEW YEAR…talking about worship.

Is there anything you do that is more important than that?
I promise you there is not.

For even the mundane things of life that you undertake;
Things like working or cooking or mowing or cleaning
Or even raising kids or loving your spouse…

All of those things are to be done in a spirit and attitude of worship.

Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”

EVERYTHING IS WORSHIP.

The question of the chapter, and the question we are going to be addressing as we look at Isaiah 66 IS NOT whether or not you worship God.

The question we are going to be asking is:
Is the worship I bring to God acceptable to Him?

Do I bring true worship or do I bring false worship?
Do I bring acceptable worship or do I bring unacceptable worship?

And lest we think this to be a small issue,
I could make the case that this issue of true worship is the one consistent message
That finds it’s way into the ministry of every Old Testament prophet.

WORSHIP IS THE CONSTANT THEME OF SCRIPTURE.

And I just want to first of all, make that point to you.
(We may not even make it into Isaiah 66 this morning,
I really just want to set this thing up for you.)

So let me ask you, where does worship first show up in the Bible?

It first shows up in the garden and it is bad.
You have Adam and Eve
Choosing to gratify their own flesh instead of obeying God.

We call that idolatry.
• They served themselves over and above the living God.
• They listened to the snake instead of to God.

Where do you see worship next?
With their sons Cain and Abel.
• Abel brings an acceptable offering because he brings it in faith;
• Cain brings an unacceptable offering because he brings it through works.
• God regards the worship of Abel
• God rejects the worship of Cain.

And true worship becomes one of the rarest occurrences on earth.
By ch 6 there is only one worshiper on earth and his name is Noah.

BUT WORSHIP IS THE THEME,
Eventually leading us to a man named Abram.

Now, the first time the English word “worship” occurs in the Bible is Genesis 22.

Genesis 22:5 “Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”

• Abraham is referring to the coming sacrifice of his son Isaac to God.
• Abraham is giving that which he loves most to God in obedience and he refers to it as an act of worship.

“worship” there is the Hebrew word SHA-KHAW
It means “to bow down; to prostrate oneself”

Even though Gen. 22:5 is the first time the word is translated “worship”
It is NOT the first time SHA-KHAW is used.

We first see it:
Genesis 18:2 “When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth,”

And again:
Genesis 19:1 “Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground.”

Both of those passages speak of the angelic messengers who visited Abram before going into Sodom, residing with Lot, and eventually destroying the city.

In Genesis 18:1 Abram bowed HIS BODY,
In Genesis 22 Abram bowed HIS WILL
And that is why chapter 22 calls it “worship”.

And this is THE STANDARD expected by God
From all those whom He has created.

• Men were created that they might bend their wills in worship to God.
• Men were created that they might submit their lives to the sovereign authority
of the God of the universe.

That, in its purest form, is worship.

IT IS WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR WILL TO GOD.

You put your thoughts and desires and dreams and wants
On the back burner and you submit yourself
To God’s thoughts and God’s desires and God’s wants.

THAT IS WORSHIP.

And you should know that GOD DESIRES TRUE WORSHIP from His people.
• Do you remember the conversation Jesus had with “The woman at the well”?

John 4:19-24 “The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

God seeks for Himself people who will be true worshipers.
• They will worship in “spirit” identifying their desire and attitude.
• They will worship in “truth” identifying their obedience and submission.

God desires a people who desire to obey Him.
God desires a people who love to submit to Him.

Now this would be a good time, I suppose, to tell you that
WE CAN BREAK WORSHIP DOWN INTO 3 TYPES.

And perhaps this will help you understand it a little better,
Even as we evaluate the worship that we are personally prone to bring to God.

The first would obviously be: TRUE WORSHIP

That is when people delight in submitting to God.
• More than prostrating their body to God (though that might be included),
• They actually prostrate their will to God.

Their outward bowing is merely symbolic of their inward submission.
• They deny themselves.
• They put aside their flesh.
• They submit to Christ and confess Him as Lord.
• They obey God.

THAT IS TRUE WORSHIP.

And I do want to give you a practical example of this.

The John 4 passage with the woman at the well is perhaps the most famous passage on worship since Jesus uses the word 10 times.

But I think the most detailed passage on worship is Romans 12.

TURN TO: ROMANS 12:1-2

Romans 12:1 represents the response segment of the book of Romans.

The first 11 chapters are theology.
• Paul gives us both the explanation and the application of the gospel.
• We learn all about God’s gracious salvation through Jesus Christ.

When we get to Romans 12
• Paul addresses our response,
• You will notice in the very first verse that the appropriate response is…WORSHIP

(12:1) “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”

And again notice the submissive element there involved.
It is us, in gratitude, submitting our bodies in holy obedience to God.

And Paul, just as we saw in the Old Testament saints, calls this worship.

But Paul doesn’t stop there.
He spends the rest of chapter 12 and all of chapter 13
Showing you what true worship looks like.

We can’t hit it in detail, though we aren’t that far from it on Wednesday nights, if you’ll start coming then.

READ VERSE 2:
Paul tells you to stop listening to the world and start listening to God.
• He tells you to let God’s word renew your mind.
• He tells you to listen to and obey God
• And prove to the world that God’s will is best.

THAT IS WORSHIP.
When you turn your back on worldly ideologies
In favor of obedience to God.

When wives, who live in a feminist culture,
Determine to submit to their husbands because God’s word tells them to, that is worship.

When children, who live in a rebellious culture,
Determine to obey their parents because God’s word tells them to, that is worship.

When husbands, who live in a selfish culture,
Determine to love their wives sacrificially because God’s word tells them to, that is worship.

YOU SEE THE POINT?
Worship is not just you walking into a sanctuary
And physically bowing your head,
It is you bowing your will to the revealed will of God.

It is a commitment to learn God’s word and obey it in the world.

But Paul is far from finished.

READ VERSES 3-8:
• Obviously there is a ton of detail that could be addressed here,
• But the main theme is that you use the gifts God has given you for His glory.

Don’t be arrogant
• Don’t suppose that your abilities make you better than someone else.

• Why are you fast?
• Why are you tall?
• Why can you speak well?
• Did you do something to make that happen? No, those were gifts from God.

See them as such and humble yourself,
And use them for God’s glory to the best of your ability.

Are you a servant, then serve!
Are you a teacher, then teach!
Are you a giver, then give!

SEE THE POINT?
Do what God created you and equipped you to do,
And do it to the best of your ability and for His glory.

THAT IS WORSHIP OF GOD.
It is a recognition of His grace in your life
And a decision to honor Him through the exercise of it.

And Paul is still not finished by a long shot.

I’m just going to read to you verses 12:9-13:7

Here you will find over 30 direct commands from God.

• Nothing is said here about bowing your head…
• Nothing is said here about raising your hands…
• Nothing is said here about singing in harmony…

But everything that is said here requires a heart of worship to fulfill it.

You want to know what true worship will look like in your life?
THIS IS IT

READ 12:9-13:7

Did you see all those commands?
They are commands that fly right against your natural fleshly nature.

• Your flesh doesn’t want to hate evil and cling to good.
• Your flesh doesn’t want to be devoted in brotherly love.
• Your flesh doesn’t want to persevere in tribulation.
• Your flesh doesn’t want to refrain from paying back evil.
• Your flesh doesn’t want to pay taxes.

In order to do those things you will have to bend your will to God’s will.
THAT IS WORSHIP.

And then perhaps the highest calling of all from God.

READ 13:8-10

What else could be called worship but a fulfillment of the Law?
• Paul tells you to sacrifice yourself for the good of your brother.
• Paul tells you to do no wrong to your brother.

And we learn that loving your brother is to worship God.
WHY? Because God told you to do it.

Now does that make sense?
Do you understand a little better what true worship is?

It is a prostrating your will to the revealed will of God.
• It is submission to God.
• That is true worship.

UNFORTUNATELY what becomes the norm in Israel is NOT true worship.

See, there are two other types of worship in Scripture
That are not true worship and that are not acceptable to God.

The second type of worship we see in the bible is IDOLATRY

What is idolatry?
It is to give worship to the wrong god.
• It may be done in the right way or the wrong way,
• But the problem is that it is given to the wrong recipient.

So if true worship is to submit to the commands of God
Then idolatry is to submit your will to another false god.

• This could be one of the named ones in Scripture like Baal or Molech,
• Or it could be to worship yourself as god and let your flesh have full control.

That is idolatry and unfortunately Israel’s history is littered with it.
It is actually what caused them to be removed from the Promised Land.

And we are not void of it either.

For example:
Colossians 3:5 “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”

Do you see the correlation to what we saw in Romans 12?
There Paul told us to present our bodies to God.

Here Paul tells us not to present our bodies to “immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed” because to that would be idolatry.

It would be to submit ourselves to the flesh as god.
It would be to do what we want instead of what God wants.

THAT IS IDOLATRY AND IT IS FALSE WORSHIP.
It is to attribute ultimate authority
To that which does not deserve authority.

So you understand what idolatry is, and I don’t want to spend a ton of time on that.

I want us to talk about the third type of worship, and that which is also unacceptable to God: HYPOCRISY

And I bring it up, because that is the type of false worship
Which God addresses at the beginning of Isaiah 66.

(1-4) “Thus says the LORD, “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? “For My hand made all these things, Thus all these things came into being,” declares the LORD. “But to this one I will look, To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word. “But he who kills an ox is like one who slays a man; He who sacrifices a lamb is like the one who breaks a dog’s neck; He who offers a grain offering is like one who offers swine’s blood; He who burns incense is like the one who blesses an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, And their soul delights in their abominations, So I will choose their punishments And will bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did evil in My sight And chose that in which I did not delight.”

We’re going to get more into it tonight…

But just a quick scan will reveal to you
That even though the people here are sacrificing oxen and lambs and bringing grain and burning incense that GOD IS NOT PLEASED.

God desires true worship and this is not it.

WHAT IS HYPOCRISY?
It is to worship the right God in the wrong way.

• All you have to do is ask Uzzah who touched the ark and God struck him dead.
• Ask Nadab and Abihu who offered strange fire and God consumed them.
• Ask Ananias and Saphira who lied to the Holy Spirit and God struck them dead.
• Ask the Pharisees who received the scathing rebuke from Jesus in Matthew 23

Hypocrisy is to worship the true God in the wrong way
And unfortunately Israel’s history is saturated with it.

Throughout her history Israel was notorious for trying to pull the wool over God’s eyes; they constantly tried to hoodwink Him.

What do you mean?

Well, they decided that instead of submitting their wills in obedience to God, they would try something else.

They would put on a big ceremonial display
And tell God they were going to obey Him,
But then go out and do their own thing instead.

Psalms 78:34-37 “When He killed them, then they sought Him, And returned and searched diligently for God; And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer. But they deceived Him with their mouth And lied to Him with their tongue. For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, Nor were they faithful in His covenant.”

Instead of truly loving and serving and bowing their will to God,
They would try to substitute that for a flamboyant ceremony instead.

They would in effect say, “We won’t do what God says, but we will put on a big display in front of Him of how important He is to us.”

However, God saw right through it and He never accepted it.
And it becomes perhaps the most addressed issue in the Old Testament.

And I want to take you on a little journey this morning
As we introduce worship.

Let’s take a walk through the Bible this morning
And see how frequently God addresses hypocrisy.

TURN TO: PSALMS 50:7-15

God is clear there isn’t He?
• I’m not here to talk about sacrificial animals.
• I don’t need another goat from you.

What does God want?
(14-15) – I want you to be grateful, I want you to be obedient, I want you to trust Me.

David seemed to understand this:
TURN TO: PSALMS 51:16-17

The infamous Psalm after David had his affair with Bathsheba.
• David knew better than to bring God a goat.
• God wanted a broken heart.

TURN TO: PROVERBS 28:9 and let’s see what Solomon had to say.

If you aren’t going to obey God,
God isn’t interested in your fabulous prayer life.

That is like a Pharisee reciting long prayers on the street corner
And God is not interested.

TURN TO: ISAIAH 1:10-17

We already read this one earlier this morning, but again God is not concerned with the big-time worship service.

What does God want?
• Stop doing evil and start doing good!
• Sound like Romans 12?

TURN TO: JEREMIAH 7:1-11

Do you see how displeased God is with church attendance if the rest of the week is filled with things He hates?

Look down: VERSES 21-26
• God didn’t care about the sacrifices,
• God wanted obedience.
• God wanted them to stop oppressing their neighbor and to stop shedding
innocent blood.

TURN TO: EZEKIEL 14:1-3

There were some of the elders who came to ask Ezekiel a question
• God said He wasn’t taking questions from them because they had idols in their hearts.

He wasn’t interested in their presence before Him
If their heart was somewhere else.

TURN TO: HOSEA 6:6
• You see clearly what God wants.

TURN TO: JOEL 2:12-13

What a statement, “rend your heart and not your garment”
• I don’t care if you tear your clothes, I want you to tear your heart!

TURN TO: AMOS 5:21-24

There it is again.
• Not interested in your worship service, I want you to love your neighbor.

TURN TO: JONAH 4:10-11

God wasn’t interested in Jonah’s personal vendetta,
• God wanted compassion from Jonah.

THAT IS WORSHIP.

TURN TO: MICAH 6:6-8

What does God want from you?
• He wants justice and kindness and humility.
• It is not about the outward worship!

TURN TO: ZEPHANIAH 1:4-6

You have idolatry, pluralism, backsliddennes, self-righteousness.
• God is going to judge all of it.
• God doesn’t want phony worship.

TURN TO: MALACHI 1:6-11

God wanted honor, they gave Him dishonor.
• He wasn’t interested.

DO YOU SEE THE POINT?

David, Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea,
Joel, Amos, Jonah, Micah, Zephaniah, Malachi…

AND THEY WERE ALL SAYING THE SAME THING!
ISRAEL NEVER GOT IT RIGHT.

They were a nation filled with bad worship.
• Sometimes they worshiped the wrong gods.
• Sometimes they worshiped the right God in the wrong way.
• And God would not accept it.

HE DOES NOT WANT some showy party.
HE DOES NOT WANT men who say things and do not do them.

He wants those who bow their wills to Him, that is worship.

Listen to Jesus here:
Matthew 21:28-32 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ “And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. “The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. “For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.”

IS IT GETTING CLEAR?

We are going to start this new year off in Isaiah 66 talking about worship.

For what we learn here is that
One of the things God will do in the end
Is to restore true worship to this world.

He will reject hypocrisy.
He will destroy idolatry.

And by the end of this thing
The entire world will be coming to bow at His feet.

Look at it again.
(23) “And it shall be from new moon to new moon And from sabbath to sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD.”

And do you want to guess what the world will be doing?
“will come to bow down” SHA-KHAW

They are coming to submit in body and soul to the LORD.

THAT IS THE CALL CHURCH.
• Submit your will to God.
• Bow your soul to Him.

• Don’t just rend your garments, rend your heart.
• Don’t just bow your head, bow your will.
• Don’t just raise your hands, raise your life.
• Don’t just sing, submit.

Tonight we’ll start looking at this passage in more detail,
But I hope you are interested in being a true worshiper of God.

John 4:23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”

download here

God’s Answer – Part 3
Isaiah 65:1-25 (20-25)
December 29, 2024

If you will remember,
Last Sunday we began our look at the believer’s glorious future.

Isaiah has been working towards this look for the last couple of chapters.

Isaiah 64 – we saw the humility and repentance of Israel and them asking whether or not God would save them.

Isaiah 65 is God’s answer.

#1 PROOF OF SALVATION
Isaiah 65:1-7

• Where God reveals He has always been a God who calls out to sinners for salvation.

#2 THE PROMISE OF SALVATION
Isaiah 65:8-10

• Where God promised to bring forth offspring from Jacob.

#3 THE PURPOSE OF SALVATION
Isaiah 65:11-16

• Where God revealed that while He does save sinners, He only saves repentant sinners who call on Him for He alone will receive credit for salvation.

#4 THE PLACE OF SALVATION
Isaiah 65:17-25

And this is what we are looking at now.

It is a picture from Isaiah of the glorious future
That awaits those who turn from their sin and turn to God.

It is the fate of all those who seek God.
More specifically: Those who seek to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.

We saw last time that salvation is indeed a place.
It is not just some spiritual reality.

We enjoy the spiritual realities and blessings of salvation today.
• Today we live in a sinful world, but through Christ we have peace.
• Today we live in a fallen world, but through Christ we have joy.
• Today we live in a corrupt world, but through Christ we have hope.

We currently enjoy the spiritual blessings of salvation.

But there is coming a day when we will also enjoy
The physical realities of salvation.

There is a PLACE of salvation coming.
Isaiah is here describing that place to us.

It would also do good for me to remind you that
Isaiah’s prophetic eyes see everything accurately,
But at the same time see more than one reality at once.

Like we understand in Isaiah 9
• Isaiah sees both the first and second coming of Christ in the same vision.

So here, in Isaiah 65,
• Isaiah sees both the millennial reign of Christ and the eternal state

HE SEES THEM BOTH.
I don’t know if it’s that Isaiah can’t distinguish between the two
Or if he isn’t trying to.

For example:
Verse 17 actually refers to “new heavens and a new earth”

That is language that the apostle John adopted in Revelation 21
To talk about the eternal state of dwelling with God.

Revelation 21:1-4 “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

However in verse 20 Isaiah actually refers to death, “the youth will die at the age of one hundred”

Clearly that is not a reference to the eternal state, but is a reference to the time period we know as the millennium or the 1,000 year reign of Christ.

THE POINT IS that Isaiah is not trying to give you a timeline or a distinction between those two events.

If you want the timeline go read Revelation 19-22.

Isaiah’s point is not to give the timeline or the distinction,
But rather to encourage the people of God
By showing them the glorious future that awaits.

The focus here is on “what” not “when”.

What does God have in store for those who seek Him?

AND IT IS SIMPLY MY HOPE THAT
You will be encouraged by what Scripture reveals
Is your destiny as one who seeks God above this world.

Perhaps a good passage to read as we back into this this morning is:
Colossians 3:1-4 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”

That is what we hope to do this morning.
• We want to set our minds on things above.
• We want to anticipate that great day of our being revealed with Him in glory.

May these truths lift you beyond your current struggles
May they strengthen your hope in what God has in store for you.

WE SAID LAST TIME THAT
There are 5 realities that Isaiah gives us about the coming place of glory for God’s people.

We saw the first last time.

1) A PLACE OF MUTUAL REJOICING, NOT GRIEF (17-19)

You have to be blind to miss the obvious point of these 3 verses.

“be glad” “rejoice” “rejoicing” “gladness” “rejoice” “be glad”

We understood what Isaiah was pointing to.
There is coming a day when we will rejoice in the presence of God
And God will rejoice in our presence.

Those former days of us sinning and grieving God…
Those former days of us grieving in the consequences of sin…

Those days will be totally forgotten.
These days will be days of rejoicing.

Today, we are commanded to rejoice, and sometimes commanded to rejoice in circumstances that don’t naturally cause rejoicing.

James 1:2 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,”

We are sort of told to dig deep and force rejoicing.

Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

But there is coming a day when rejoicing won’t be a command,
It will be the natural response to being in the presence of God.

You just won’t be able to wipe the smile off your face.

THAT IS YOUR FUTURE CHURCH.
You are headed for a place where joy and gladness dominate.

Fix your eyes and your hopes on that day.

Well, that was last time, let’s look at the other realities of this place this morning.

2) A PLACE OF LIFE, NOT DEATH (20)

(20) “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.”

This is certainly the most difficult verse to deal with in the entire section.
It has puzzled more than one theologian over the years.

It is really hard to be definitive here.
But I also don’t mind trying to make sense of the passage
And to help you see what I think Isaiah’s point and objective are.

It is important to make sure you get THE OVERALL POINT.

While Isaiah does mention a youth dying, though it is at 100,
The overwhelming point of Isaiah is that
DEATH WILL BE A SHOCK, NOT THE NORM.

THAT IS CLEAR.

He says “the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed.”

In other words, death before the age of 100 will be absolutely shocking and even unexplainable.

We don’t like to witness the death of a young person today.
• It is tragic, it is especially painful
• But it is not necessarily foreign.
• It happens.

RIGHT NOW WE LIVE IN A CULTURE DOMINATED BY DEATH

Solomon reminded us:
Ecclesiastes 9:2-6 “It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice
and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.”

And that is sort of what we live with.
Death is not only normal, it is expected, and it is anticipated.

• We have all wondered what it is that will cause us to die.
• We have all contemplated the death of parents and when that might occur.
• We know it is just a reality.

“It is appointed for men to die once, and then comes judgment”

Death is painful, but it is normal.

But there is coming a day when death will be so foreign
That the only explanation that man will be able to conceive is that
This person must have been cursed by God.

IT WILL JUST BE A RARE THING.

And that’s the point.
We are talking about a place where death is not the norm.

Isaiah is talking about a day where life is normal and death is foreign.
THAT IS ENCOURAGING TO US.

Now, let’s see if we can’t understand it a little better.
Clearly, since death is mentioned at all,
Isaiah cannot here be talking about the eternal state of heaven.

Revelation 21:4 “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

Luke 20:34-36 “Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”

Death doesn’t even occur in heaven…at all.

So clearly Isaiah must be referring here to that glorious time period we know as the Millennial reign of Christ.

Perhaps it will help us to understand WHY death continues at all.

TURN TO: REVELATION 20:1-10

The event see here is the 1,000 year (millennial) reign of Christ.
• Jesus returns in Ch. 19
• Jesus judges the nations.
• Jesus throws the beast and the false prophet (anti-christ) into the lake of fire
• Jesus kills the rest of the army of the beast and false prophet.

Then we get to chapter 20.
(READ 1-10)

So you follow the order there.
1. Satan is bound for 1,000 years (he must be released after the 1,000 years…for judgment)
2. We have the first resurrection of believers who are raised to reign with Christ.

And then we read in verse 5, “the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed”
• There is another resurrection of the wicked which occurs in conjunction with
the loosing of Satan after the 1,000 years.

If it puzzles you regarding where that massive army in rebellion comes from, this is it.

3. Then you see that massive rebellion and Christ squashes it and then at the end of the chapter comes the great white throne judgment.

In fact look down at verse 14, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”

See, death cannot be totally eradicated
Until every sinner is totally and finally judged.

This is why death remains even throughout
The glorious millennial reign of Christ.

But during that 1,000 years it will be the exception, not the rule.
It will be shocking and rare.

I think this falls in line with what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15
1 Corinthians 15:20-28 “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”

• When Christ reigns the last enemy that will be abolished is death.
• Death is reserved for the final judgment of all the wicked
• And then death itself is abolished.

I think there’s another text that might help us
Understand the death that occurs during the millennium.

TURN TO: ZECHARIAH 14

Again the context:
• At the end of chapter 12 (12:10) is when God pours out His Spirit on Israel
and they repent and call on Christ.
• Chapter 13 reveals the immediate response of devotion to Christ and the
tribulation that Israel will endure upon confessing Christ.
• Chapter 14 begins with the second coming of Christ (1-5)

And then chapter 14 begins to talk about Christ’s reign.
(READ 6-21)

Certainly we see some wonderful realities about the reign of Christ,

But what we also pick up on is that during this time
We do see the potential for a small amount of pushback
From some of the nations.

We read about kingdoms who don’t want to attend the feast of booths
And thus they are punished with drought.

Perhaps over the course of 1,000 years people again fall into apathy.
Perhaps over 1,000 years there are some whose love grows cold.

But, disobedience to Christ will not be tolerated.
(Consequences for such sin are immediate and drastic)

Maybe that helps you understand
Why death is present even in the millennial reign.

But the point being made by Isaiah is that
It will be extremely rare and shocking when it occurs.

I think we can confidently add that
• It will NOT occur at all among the faithful.
• Those who do experience it will be those who are cursed by the Lord for their rebellion against Him.

We are talking about a place of life, not death.

And church that is something to look forward to as well.

• Our future is a place where joy abounds.
• Our future is a place where death is scarce, and will one day be totally
eradicated.

We have a destiny of joy and a destiny of life.
This is the place that God has for His people.

A place of mutual rejoicing, not grief
A place of eternal life, not death

3) A PLACE OF EXPERIENCED BLESSING, NOT CURSES (21-23)

(21-23) “They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. “They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them.”

We certainly understand the point being made here,
But I think it is one that is even more relevant to Isaiah’s Jewish audience.

Let me ask you to turn again…
TURN TO: DEUTERONOMY 8:1-14

Deuteronomy 28 is a unique chapter that outlines the agreement and consequences of the Mosaic covenant.
• If you keep the covenant you get unmitigated blessing from God.
• If you break the covenant you get unrelenting curses from God.

And of course the history of Israel bears out that
It was nothing on their part but curses.

But we are talking about those who have been saved by Christ now.

Galatians 3:13-14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

Therefore the future for God’s people
Is only blessing without curses.

WHILE IT IS TRUE THAT TODAY
“We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

The destiny of the Christian is to also
Be blessed with every physical blessing in Christ.

There is coming a day of physical blessing for the people of God.
A day when there will never again be disappointments.

I pray with several farmers on Friday mornings,
I know how the cycle works.

• They get pretty excited when it rains in April and May and they can put that
cotton into wet ground.
• They love a rain June or July as well.
• But I also know the disappointment when a farmer sees the rain stop, the
cotton wither, and the prices fall.

There is so much of what we do in this life
That ends in disappointment.

BUT NOT IN THAT DAY.
• If you build a house you will get to live in it.
• If you plant a vineyard you will get to enjoy its fruit.

(23) “They will not labor in vain…”

That is a direct correction of the curse Adam brought.
He was told that only by the sweat of his brow would he bring forth food.

So much of the labor today is vanity, but not on the coming day.

God will bless everything, including the offspring of you body.
(Another reason we know this segment cannot be about heaven)

(23) “They will not…bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them.”

The day of the curse will be over.
It will only be a day of blessing.

“No more let sins or sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow, far as the curse is found.”

4) A PLACE OF IMMEDIATE SATISFACTION, NOT FRUSTRATION (24)

(24) “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”

One thing we learn throughout our Christian walk here on earth
Is the importance of faith and patience.

Isaiah told us:
Isaiah 40:31 “Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

The Psalmist declared:
Psalms 27:14 “Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.”

Psalms 37:7-9 “Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.”

We don’t get instant gratification now.
Waiting is part of life.

Certainly in a temporal sense, anyone who has ever needed a doctor understands the waiting involved.

AND AS CHRISTIANS WE FAITHFULLY WAIT:

1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

Philippians 3:20 “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;”

1 Thessalonians 1:10 “and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.”

Even our prayer life can require some waiting.
We read in the book of Daniel about a prayer he offered, and the reason for the delayed response:

Daniel 10:12-14 “Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. “Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”

The answer to Daniel’s search was quickly given, but it was delayed in arrival because of the spiritual warfare of the heavens.

But in the millennial reign of Christ Satan will be bound
And there will be no such obstruction.

And that is good because WAITING IS HARD.

We remember Mary and Martha being frustrated with Jesus for making them wait what seemed to be too long.
John 11:21 “Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

We think of the words of Job:
Job 6:11-12 “What is my strength, that I should wait? And what is my end, that I should endure? “Is my strength the strength of stones, Or is my flesh bronze?”

Waiting in this life is hard, but there is day coming
WHEN WE WILL NEVER HAVE TO WAIT AGAIN.

“It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”

How marvelous is that!

There is coming a day when obstacles and frustrations
And disappointments will be no more.

We will have instant access to the Father
And there will be no delay in anything we ask of Him.
Imagine that place church!

• No more walking by faith without sight…
• No more waiting for what was promised…
• No more enduring in hope of deliverance…

It will all be immediate and instant.
Life’s frustrations will come to an end on that day.

5) A PLACE OF PERFECT PEACE, NOT EVIL (25)

(25) “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.”

We recognize that passage as something Isaiah already taught us about Christ’s earthly reign.

Isaiah 11:6-8 “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.”

The point of course is that “They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain”

I do find one interesting statement here however in verse 25.
• You see the wolf and lamb getting along.
• You see the lion and ox getting along.

But notice what Isaiah says about the serpent.
“and dust will be the serpent’s food.”

It is a link back to the garden.
Genesis 3:14-15 “The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

On this cleansed and renovated earth upon which Christ will dwell,
Satan gets no part of it.

He is bound, He is relegated to the dirt, He is eating dust for 1,000 years.
His influence is eradicated and thus the evil is removed.
It is a time of peace, not evil.

• No more wars…
• No more fighting…
• No more tension…
• No more frustration…
• No more disappointment…
• No more sorrow…
• No more untimely death…

And all this is the destiny of the one who seeks God.
All of this is the future state of glory for child of God.

And church I would just want you to imagine that day for a moment.
I just want you to view your current struggles and trials through that lens.

No one would suggest that the things that some in our church are dealing with aren’t severe and very difficult.

There are some dealing with some very challenging,
Frustrating, and scary issues right now.

But even at that, one thing they all have in common is that
THEY ARE ALL TEMPORARY.

Paul says:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

And that is what Isaiah is asking us to do today.
• Stop looking at what is seen and start looking at what is unseen.
• Stop looking at what is temporary and start looking at what is eternal.

There is a momentary, light affliction that is faced today,
But there is an eternal weight of glory coming tomorrow.

Last year the church graciously gave Carrie and I a love offering to take a cruise to Israel.

It wasn’t long after that that a war broke out and no cruises were headed over there.

But we hold out hope that the fighting will end and we’ll be able to go.
• It is something we are excited about.
• It is something we anticipate.

And that is just a trip to a country that we may or may not get to take.
But we are still excited about it.

How much more should the child of God
Be excited about the glory that awaits them
Which is certain and sure and guaranteed?

One day soon, this life of pain will be over for all of us.
And we will be in the presence of our Lord.

• And we will rejoice!
• And we will live!
• And we will experience blessing!
• And we will be satisfied!
• And we will be at peace!

1 Peter 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,”

Look to that and rejoice in that church!
That day is coming for you.