The God Who Saves

I know we'd all like to go there, huh?

Let's all go to Children's Church this morning.

! Much better than this, I'm sure.

Let's pray.

Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever.

Amen.

That is the anthem we will sing for all of eternity.

Singing about the worthiness of our God.

So this morning, as we come now to your word,

I pray that you would reign in our hearts.

That you would take the place of honor for us today.

Remove for us the other things that have taken your place.

Reclaim your spot of supremacy and lordship in our lives.

And as we look at this text today,

may there be another area of our lives

where we recommit ourselves to be more like our God.

We praise you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Well, if you've been reading the news over the last several weeks

and kind of keeping in touch with kind of the international story,

you've seen that ISIS, the last major stronghold in Syria,

was conquered just a couple of weeks ago

in the city of, I think, Raka is how you pronounce the name of the city.

But it was not without cost.

In this city was a soccer stadium known as the Black Coliseum.

Mainly because of the construction of the materials that they used,

the black kind of concrete that was used for this black coliseum.

But it took on new meaning as a result of what ISIS did

in terms of making it a place of imprisonment and torture.

The gym and the locker rooms and the showers

in the bottom area of this coliseum were used as a jail.

And even the gym equipment was used as torture devices.

Those that spent any time there and survived

recount the story of the horrors that took place in that coliseum.

And any of us who have kind of been caught up in the news

of all the things that have happened in the Muslim world,

particularly with ISIS and their sweeping power across Iraq and Syria

and Damascus and all these other surrounding places,

have been gripped with the stories of the atrocities that have taken place.

It seems that social media has been a great venue

for ISIS to promote their story

in kind of an unfiltered, raw, in graphic terms.

Shocking the world with the grotesqueness and brutality

of their collection of individuals,

their military force.

And what seemed to be horrifying,

the one week was just eclipsed by another atrocity the following week.

Almost as if they were trying to outdo one another

in raising the bar for what can be done to a human body

to create shock and awe across the world.

As I have watched the story unfold

and as I have been caught up in the flow

of this moving force across the Middle East,

the question that grows in my own heart is

how has this affected my perception of a people?

The people that we run across,

I can remember even the first airplane ride

that I took after 9-11

and seeing people on the plane who were clearly Muslim

and that sense in my own heart,

oh my goodness, what is going to happen on this flight?

And perhaps in your own communities

as you go to the park

or see a rising number of neighbors

who are quite different from you.

How has the spread of ISIS

and the conflict in the Middle East

affected your interest in your perception

and even your contact,

your relationships

with people who are different from you?

Imagine for a moment what it would be like.

If we feel this and we're watching from a distance,

imagine what it would be like

if you were in the culture.

It's estimated that the number of refugees

as a result of the ISIS occupation

have been 3.3 million people in Iraq alone.

Estimated in 2013 of 1.5 million in Syria.

Certainly those numbers grew exponentially

over the occupation that took place.

Here you see a couple of pictures up on the screen.

The first on your left,

a mob of individuals waiting for food.

Can you imagine

the desperation

between bombed out apartment complexes,

this mass of people clinging to life,

desperate for the most basic things,

shelter, food, clothing?

My own heart is gripped

by the picture on the right.

These are somebody's kids.

Can you see the terror

on the faces of these children?

Imagine if these were your kids.

Imagine if it was you standing in line,

clinging to life,

desperate for what was coming next,

fleeing the danger,

taking whatever risk it took

to get out of the imminent danger

and moving into places of relative safety,

better safety.

Well,

what goes through your mind

when you see these people?

How would that amplify your feelings

against those who oppressed you?

Those who were hostile against you?

Those who robbed you

of the people that you loved

and took away the things you worked

the hardest to get?

What would that do

to your feeling

of hatred,

bitterness,

anger

towards

an oppressor?

Well,

this is the context

of the passage

that we're in

this morning.

As we're moving through

the book of Isaiah,

beginning in Isaiah chapter 10

Isaiah 10 · chapter mention

and moving all the way

to Isaiah chapter 35,

Isaiah 35 · chapter mention

we see

this evidence

that God will judge

the nations.

And if you're experiencing

direct hostility,

you say,

it's about time.

They're getting what they deserve.

I'm so glad

that God is finally

going to take them

out of the way.

Give them a taste

of their own medicine.

But then we come

to this

another surprising,

shocking

passage

in Isaiah chapter 19.

Isaiah 19 · chapter mention

In the midst

of judgment,

we find

there are promises.

Promises

to the oppressor.

Promises

to a

nation,

an empire,

who has been

used by God

as an instrument

of discipline

in your life.

totally

turning everything

upside down

for you.

Ruining

families,

comfort.

And that's

where we come

today.

Feel

a little bit

of the emotion

behind the words

that Isaiah

is writing

to these people

as we look

at Isaiah chapter

Isaiah 19 · chapter mention

19

this morning.

If you're not

there already,

please turn with me

to Isaiah chapter 19.

Isaiah 19 · chapter mention

If you're a guest

with us this morning,

it's on page

581.

We're going to

start and just

focus most of our

time this morning

on this first point.

The promises

regarding Egypt.

The promises

regarding Egypt.

Let me begin

with just the first

couple

of verses

and then we're

going to move

to the end

of the chapter

to really fill out

for us

the promises

that bring hope,

not just

devastation.

But beginning

in verse 1

of Isaiah

Isaiah 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19.

An oracle

concerning Egypt.

Behold,

the Lord

is riding

on a swift cloud

and comes

to Egypt.

And the idols

of Egypt

will tremble

at his presence

and the heart

of the Egyptians

will melt

within them.

And I will

stir up

the Egyptians

against the Egyptians

and they will

fight each

against one another

and each

against his neighbor.

City

against city.

Kingdom

against kingdom.

And the spirit

of the Egyptians

within them

will be emptied out.

And I will

confound

their counsel

and they will

inquire

of the idols

of the sorcerers

and the mediums

and the necromancers.

And I will

give over

the Egyptians

into the hand

of a hard master.

And a fierce king

will rule over them

declares

the Lord

of hosts.

And if you are

reading this

prophecy

at least

the front end

of this prophecy

as a person

living in Judah

in Jerusalem

you are saying

it is about time

they're getting

what's coming

to them.

This stern

warning of judgment

against a nation.

A nation

who has set

itself

against

Judah

against God's

people.

has been

a rod

of discipline

on a

disobedient

people.

And here we

find in chapter

19

another prophecy

regarding

this nation

and the nation

of Egypt

whose history

was so bound

up with Israel

from the very

beginning

going all the way

back to Genesis

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

chapter 12

where God

is calling

out a people

for himself.

He is calling

out Abraham

Abraham.

And then

as soon as

God gives

this promise

of blessing

to Abraham

we find

that Abraham

is in the

middle of a

crisis.

There's a famine

in the land

and where does

Abraham go?

Well

in Genesis

Genesis 12:10

chapter 12

verse 10

we find that

Abraham goes

down to Egypt

to escape

the famine.

God

even used

the nation

of Egypt

to harbor

and to

protect

his people.

We see the

same kind

of thing

in Genesis

Genesis 37 · chapter mention

chapter 37.

Joseph

was taken

captive

down to

Egypt

and soon

after

over a

course of

another famine

Jacob

and all

of his

sons

70 in

all

go down

to Egypt

and they're

there for

400 years.

A place

of preservation

really kind

of an

incubation

center

for a

nation

that was

beginning

to thrive.

What

began

as 70

grew

to

millions

of

people

over

the

course

of

400

years

sheltered

within

the

empire

of

Egypt

protected

and cared

for

by this

nation

of Egypt.

But there's

also a

history

of military

conflict

and covenant

with one

another.

We see

in 1 Kings

that Solomon

makes a

treaty

with the

nation

of Egypt.

He marries

the daughter

of Pharaoh.

We find

the first

king

after

Solomon

is

the king

of Egypt

comes up

against

Jerusalem

and he

takes away

the treasures

of the

house of

the Lord

and the

treasures

of the

house

of Rehoboam.

We find

in 2 Chronicles

that an

Ethiopian

general

was dispatched

by Egypt

to go

against

King

Asa.

We find

in 2 Kings

2 Kings 17 · chapter mention

chapter 17

that Egypt

is again

in play

in relationship

to the history

of the northern

ten tribes.

And then in our

current setting

the setting

of Hezekiah

we find that

Hezekiah is

called for help.

We'll look at

this more

next week.

But when

Sennacherib

comes he

hears this

report that

the Egyptian

king

has dispatched

a military

leader to

come and

to help

Hezekiah

in the

midst

of his

crisis.

All

throughout

the history

of Israel

this nation

of Israel

it was

integrally

connected

to the

history

of Egypt

the empire

of Egypt.

But here

we find

throughout

this chapter

the first

15 verses

we find

that there

will be

judgment

that comes

on the

empire

of Egypt

because

of the

way they've

been used

as a

disciplining

tool

against

the

nation

of

Israel.

We find

in verse

1 that

there's going

to be

futility

in their

religion.

In verse

2 God

is going

to create

internal

conflict.

A civil

war

neighbor

against

neighbor

Egyptian

against

Egyptian.

We find

in verse

3 that

there's going

to be

an

undermining

of their

wisdom

that God

is going

to turn

it to

nothing.

In

verse

4 he's

going to

shatter

their

superiority.

In

verse

5 he's

going to

devastate

their

economy.

In

verse

6 and

7 he's

going to

dry up

the

fertility

of the

land.

In

verse

8 he's

going to

eliminate

their

food

source.

Verse

9 he's

going to

disrupt

their

clothing

market.

Verse

10 he's

going to

crush

their

employment.

In

verses

11 to

15 he's

going to

lay low

the

wisdom

of their

counselors.

They will

have no

answer

for the

devastation

that is

happening

to them.

But it

all is

taking place

for a

purpose.

All of

these

disruptive

events,

all of

the

suffering

that they

will

experience

will result

in leading

them to

favor of

God.

The heart

of God

was on

the people

of Egypt

even

in the

midst

of

judgment.

Those

who had

been so

disruptive

to Israel

through the

course of

their history

would now

be the

recipients

of God's

face,

of his

favor,

of his

blessing

on an

empire.

We find

the details

of their

dramatic

return

in the

remaining

verses

of chapter

19.

And that's

where I

want to

spend the

most of

our

attention

this

morning.

So let

me read

for us

verses

16

through

the rest

of the

chapter.

And then

we'll pick

up and deal

with the

five promises

that God

gives to

the empire

of Egypt

that are

all couched

within and

all led by

the statement

in that

day.

A familiar

phrase we've

come to see

throughout our

time in the

book of

Isaiah.

What are

those promises

to Egypt?

What is

God's future

heart for

this people?

Well, let

me read

for us

beginning

in verse

16.

It says

this,

In that

day,

the Egyptians

will be like

women and

tremble with

fear before

the hand

that the

Lord of

hosts shakes

over them,

and the

land of

Judah will

become a

terror to

the Egyptians.

Everyone to

whom it is

mentioned will

fear because

of the purpose

that the

Lord of

hosts has

purposed

against them.

In that

day,

there will

be five

cities in

the land

of Egypt

that speak

the language

of Canaan

and swear

legions to

the Lord

of hosts.

One of

those will

be called

the city

of destruction.

In that

day,

there will

be an

altar to

the Lord

in the midst

of the

land of

Egypt,

and a

pillar to

the Lord

at its

border.

It will

be a

sign and

a witness

to the

Lord of

hosts in

the land

of Egypt.

When they

cry to

the Lord

because of

oppressors,

he will

send them

a savior

and a

defender

and deliver

them.

And the

Lord will

make himself

known to

the Egyptians

and the

Egyptians

will know

the Lord

in that

day and

worship

with

sacrifice

and

offering.

And they

will make

vows to

the Lord

and perform

them.

And the

Lord will

strike Egypt,

striking and

healing,

and they

will return

to the

Lord and

he will

listen to

their pleas

for mercy

and heal

them.

In that

day,

there will

be a

highway from

Egypt to

Assyria,

and Assyria

will come

into Egypt,

and Egypt

into Assyria,

and the

Egyptians

will worship

with the

Assyrians.

In that

day,

Israel will

be a

third,

with Egypt

and Assyria,

a blessing

in the midst

of the

earth,

whom the

Lord of

hosts has

blessed,

saying,

Blessed be

Egypt,

my people,

and Assyria,

the work

of my

hands,

and Israel

my

inheritance.

For those

who would

be reading

this from

the nation

of Judah,

they would

stand back

aghast,

breathless,

speechless,

amazed at

the promise

of God

on a

people,

a people

of Egypt,

an empire

who had

been opposed

to God.

Well,

we find

in this

passage,

five promises

that God

gives to

the empire.

First,

we find

in verses

16 and

17,

we find

that they

will fear

the Lord.

They will

fear the

Lord.

I want you

to understand

this morning

that the

first step

towards any

reformation

in your

heart,

or anyone's

heart,

is a

healthy

fear,

reverence,

and respect

for God.

We find

this at the

beginning of

the book

in Isaiah

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6.

As Isaiah

is standing

before the

throne,

we find

reverence

and fear

at the

presence

and the

image of

God.

He marvels

at the

grandeur

and the

glory

of the

Lord of

hosts.

He's

terrified

at the

God of

heaven.

Proper

fear has

always marked

the people

of God.

from the

very

beginnings.

Israel's

encounter

with God

at Mount

Sinai

was very

similar.

When God

comes down

to the

people and

he gives

them the

law,

we find

that they

actually plead

with Moses

to act

on their

behalf

as the

go-between

so they

don't have

to deal

with the

physical

presence

of God

in their

midst.

The people,

it says in

Exodus

Exodus 20 · chapter mention

chapter 20.

when the

people saw

the thunder

and the

lightning

and heard

the trumpet

and saw

the mountain

in the

smoke,

they trembled

with fear.

They say

to Moses,

speak to

us yourself

and we

will listen,

but do

not have

God speak

to us

or we

die.

A

people

who are

marked

by

transformation

are

people

who are

characterized

by fear

and respect

of God.

This was

not just

an Old

Testament

experience.

We see

this at

the beginnings

of the

New Testament

church.

It was

their

experience

as well.

When the

first converts

come and

respond to

the message

of the

gospel,

we find

there in

Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2,

they devoted

themselves to

the apostles'

teaching and

the fellowship,

to the breaking

of the bread

and to prayers,

and fear

came upon

every soul.

And John's

experience of

seeing the

glorified Christ

in Revelation

was much

the same.

We find in

Revelation

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1,

when Christ

comes and

is delivering

his message,

it says,

I turned

and saw

the voice

that spoke

with me,

and there

was one

like the

Son of

Man,

clothed

with a

garment

down to

his feet

and girded

about the

chest

with a

golden

band.

His head

and hair

were white

like wool,

as white

as snow,

and his eyes

like a flame

of fire.

His feet

were like

fine brass,

as if refined

in a furnace,

and his voice

as the sound

of many waters.

He had

in his hand

the seven

stars,

and out of

his mouth

went a sharp

two-edged

sword,

and his

countenance

was like

the shining

sun in

its strength.

And when

I saw

him,

I fell

to the

ground

as dead.

in that

day,

there will

finally be

sight for

the people

of Egypt

and will

lead them

to fear.

It will

lead them

to understand

the power

in the

presence

of God.

And as a

people,

it will

move them

down the

road of

worship

and reverence

to the

almighty

God,

the God

of Israel.

it will

lead them

to proper

worship

of him,

devotion

to

serving

him

and to

loving

him,

as we

find

throughout

the rest

of this

chapter

this

morning.

It begins

with fear,

but it

doesn't end

there.

It moves

to the

next level,

which we

find in

verse 18.

What do we

find there?

It says,

in that

day,

five cities

of the

land of

Egypt

will speak

the language

of Canaan.

They will

learn the

language

of Canaan.

Now,

you might

not think

that's a

big deal,

but so

dramatic

their fear

of God

that they

adopt a

new

national

language.

In these

five cities

that are

the prominent

cities

of Egypt,

they have

determined

to be a

people

wholly

devoted to

God in

every way,

so much

so that

they speak

the language

of Canaan.

The

verbal

form of

this

word

emphasizes

the

continuance

of their

speaking,

so that

they actually

adopt the

language as

their own,

not just

speak it as

a secondary

part,

but it

now becomes

the national

language

of Egypt.

It's

typical of

Isaiah

in connecting

speaking

with worship.

What do we

find again

there in

Isaiah

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6?

There's

Isaiah

before the

throne,

and he

says,

I am a

man of

unclean

lips.

Isaiah

understands

that speaking

and worship

go hand

in hand.

And so

in describing

this people

as a

people who

have adopted

the language

of Canaan,

he is

helping to

underscore

the fact

that this

people is

a people

who have

committed

themselves

completely

to the

worship

of God.

In

adopting

the

language

of

Canaan,

they

speak,

it speaks

to accomplish

several

purposes,

several

objectives.

It will

not only

help to

assist them

in their

relationships

with Israel,

to aid

them in

their study

of the

scripture,

and to

allow them

to travel

to Jerusalem

without

barriers,

but it

will also

give them

full access

to everything

that is

available

to the

people

of God

without

restriction.

Their

interest

is full

allegiance

to the

Lord of

hosts.

We find

that there

in verse

18.

It says,

they will

speak the

language of

Canaan and

swear allegiance

to the

Lord of

hosts.

Their

commitment

is allegiance

to the

God of

Israel.

Allegiance

that shows

up in

full

conformity

with

everything

Hebrew.

This is

yet another

critical step

in the

nation's

reformation.

I'm not

sure if

you're aware

of this,

but when

our own

nation

began to

be started,

Hebrew

was actually

recommended

as one

of our

own

national

languages.

Did you

know that?

William

Bradford,

who came

over on

the Mayflower

with the

pilgrims,

were so

committed to

the scripture

and so

desirous to

be people

of God

that they

actually voted

as a

colony,

what language

would be

learned?

Hebrew was

close to the

top of the

list and

only voted

down by

one vote.

We were

almost Hebrew

speakers.

And

apparently at the

founding of the

nation in

1780,

when George

Washington was

making his

way to the

presidency,

one of his

companions was

a strong

advocate for

Hebrew as

being the

national

language.

As a result

of their

animosity

towards England

and the desire

again to be a

people of God.

How can we do

this effectively?

Well, we do

this by learning

the language

of Hebrew.

And even in

the older

institutions like

Yale and

Harvard,

it was required

that all the

students that

went would

learn Hebrew.

So much so

that even the

commencement addresses

were actually

given in

Hebrew.

How about

that for

history?

There is

something

significant

about language.

Language

communicates

devotion.

It communicates

commitment.

And as

English speakers,

we show the

roots of where

we've come.

As English

speakers,

especially here

in America,

we identify

ourselves with

a country,

a lifestyle,

a way of

thinking,

certain priorities

and attitudes.

It fits

various stereotypes

and distinguishes

us as a

people different

from the rest

of the world.

And in a

similar way,

Egypt is

desiring to

conform their

lives and their

hearts and their

lifestyle to

the God of

Israel by

learning the

language.

language.

And this

sets them

up to

take them

to the

next level

of devotion

which we

find in

verses 19

to 22.

We find

in these

verses that

they will

build an

altar to

the God

of Israel.

They will

build an

altar to

the God

of Israel.

We find

there in

verse 19,

in that

day there

will be

an altar

to the

Lord in

the midst

of the

land of

Egypt and

a pillar to

the Lord

at its

border.

What began

as a case

for five

cities in

this empire

of Egypt

committing

themselves to

devotion of

God now

pours out

onto the

rest of the

land itself.

The heart

has begun

to affect

the whole.

And a

whole nation

is captured

with devotion

and worship

to God.

This pillar

is erected

in Egypt

of worship

to God.

And we

find the

marks of

the genuine

nature of

their religion

here throughout

the rest of

these verses.

In verse 19

we see

an altar.

We see

a place

of reconciliation.

A place

of communion.

A place

of repentance.

A place

of sacrifice.

A place

of approaching

the God

of Israel

on his

terms.

In verse

20

at the end

of the verse

it says

it will be a

sign and a

witness to the

Lord of hosts

in the land

of Egypt

when they cry

to the Lord

because of

their oppressors

he will send

them a

savior

and a

defender.

There is

prayer.

So there is

not only an

altar but there

is also

prayer.

There is

a commitment

to the

protection

and security

and help

of God.

In verse

21 we

find that

there is

revelation.

The Lord

will reveal

himself to

them.

Look with

me at

verse 21

and the

Lord

will make

himself

known

to the

Egyptians

and the

Egyptians

will know

the Lord

in that

day.

The

revelation

revelation

of God

is a

mark

of a

true

religion

a true

people

who are

walking

after and

following

after God.

At the

second part

of verse

21 we

find true

service.

Notice as I

continue in

verse 21

21.

In that

day there

will be

worship with

sacrifice and

offerings and

they will

make vows to

the Lord and

perform them.

They will

commit themselves

to him and

then they will

carry out the

things that they

have promised

to do.

There will be

service on

their part.

Devotion,

allegiance,

ministry.

And then

finally there

will be

providential

discipline that

we find in

verse 22.

the Lord

will strike

Egypt,

striking and

healing and

they will

return to

the Lord and

he will

listen to

their pleas

for mercy

and heal

them.

What is

true of

any child

of God as

we find in

Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

12?

God disciplines

those that he

loves and

here we find

his disciplining

hand on the

people of

Egypt,

disciplining

them for

their joy,

correcting them

so that they

turn again to

him as he

exposes the

deficiencies of

their lives and

helps to lead

them to the

superiority of

God.

These are the

marks of true

religion in

this place.

This is a

mark of a

people who

have given

themselves to

God.

We find the

next promise

verse 23.

It says,

in that

day there

will be a

highway from

Egypt to

Assyria and

Assyria will

come into

Egypt and

Egypt into

Assyria and

the Egyptians

will worship

with the

Assyrians.

They will

worship with

Assyria.

Here are

these two

superpowers

of the day.

These arch

enemies of

the day.

But in

that future

day there

will be

peace.

There will

be fellowship.

There will

be community.

There will

be devotion

together of

God.

Marked by

the highway

that connects

the two

nations

together.

This means

of traffic

and access

to one

another's

empires.

I can

remember

traveling as

a kid to

upstate New

York.

And most

of the

journey as

I recall

was a

journey by

side streets,

by these

two lane

highways that

cut through

all of the

little towns

and communities

along the

way.

And it

took forever

it seemed

to get to

my grandma's

house.

And as much

as I liked