Isaiah 60

In 2012, during the London Olympics, we kept hearing these words, I don't know whether you remember them.

! The eyes of the world are on you, London. I don't know if I was going to repeat it ad nauseum.

The eyes of the world are on you, the world is watching.

The key show was the London Olympics, when the attention of the world was riveted, wasn't it, on the city in which we live for several weeks.

One city was in the news every day, and everyone saw it. That was all the time.

There have been times when Baghdad, the eyes of the world have been on Baghdad. Mosul, Aleppo, Paris, Sydney.

The eyes of the world are on a certain city. And we're either watching in delight or horror.

It takes, doesn't it, something of a massive scale for the eyes of the world to turn onto a city.

But it can happen. And it happens in Isaiah 60. It's a world city in Isaiah 60, taking the center stage.

Not just in the world, but the eyes of the universe are on this city.

I don't know how you feel about London. We should feel proud of our city, isn't it?

Most of us are migrants. We've come here from somewhere else.

But some of you were bored and bred here. Some of you have never lived anywhere else.

It's a wonderful thing. And I hope we feel proud of our city.

When you're tired of London, you are tired of life.

Alright?

And when people say, living in London, the problem isn't London.

When you move somewhere else, I assure you, the problems will follow you there.

The problem isn't the city.

Some of us might feel London's awful. We don't like it.

Some of us might feel it's glorious.

Some of us might feel like it's a place like nowhere else on earth.

We wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

But God has a city.

Here in Old Testament Jerusalem.

Zion.

And God is more proud of Zion

than we know.

He has more love for Zion

than you have for your home city.

Because it's where his people live.

And he loves his people.

And it's where he shows himself to be king of the world.

And you can see what he says.

He says, I want the eyes of the world

to look on my city.

You, my people.

You, my people.

Let's start with you.

Look at my city.

Verse 2.

For behold, which means stop what you're doing

and look.

Verse 4.

Lift up your eyes all around.

Look about you.

God says.

Being a pastor is a privilege.

Being a preacher is a great delight, usually.

But sometimes you reach parts of the Bible

which are so sublime.

And there's a description of the future

that actually only poetry is adequate.

And I have a simple prayer for this morning.

It's Psalm 19.

That the Lord's right precepts

will give joy to your heart.

And his radiant commands

will give light to your eyes.

So here's four ways that God wants to give us that.

Number one.

A world in darkness,

but a city a light.

A world in darkness,

but a city a light.

You've seen him here on great sporting occasions

when it starts and the credits start to roll

and everywhere is in darkness

apart from the illuminated stadium.

We've all seen that if we watch sport.

And there's something like that here.

A world in darkness,

but a city a light.

What do you do

when you look around this room this morning?

What do you see?

What do you see when you look around this room?

Some of us have sunny dispositions.

Others of us less so.

Some of us know

what it is to go through dark nights.

To know the black dog of depression.

We know, don't we, about thick darkness.

But of course,

the picture here in Isaiah 60

is a picture of moral blackness.

Things are bad out there.

And they're bad out there for Israel,

for Jerusalem.

For this city,

life was grim.

Do you remember?

The eyes of the world

are on this one city,

but the city's in big trouble.

And we've learned that all the way through Isaiah.

Here we are in chapter 60,

nearly at the end.

And we can say,

when people ask us,

what is it?

What is this book about?

We can say to them,

it is about how the faithless city

can become the holy city.

Isaiah is about how the whore

can become the bride.

It's a city in darkness and blackness.

And so I want you to see something,

Isaiah says.

I want you to look at something.

I want you to notice,

yes, you're in a city in trouble.

Yes, you live in a world in trouble.

Darkness covers what?

Jerusalem,

Jerusalem,

Zion,

now the whole earth.

And thick darkness is over the peoples.

That means all the nations.

God's people,

whether they're getting it right

or when they're getting it wrong,

always live in a world

that is getting it wrong

and that is lost

and that is dark.

The Apostle John says,

men love darkness

instead of light

because their deeds are evil.

We all know this.

Some of us live with this all the time,

don't we?

Death has arrived far too soon

in our homes.

There's a kind of despair

that just won't lift.

Life hasn't worked out

or isn't working out

the way that we thought it would.

Our home

is not the place

that we thought it would be.

In fact,

it's not even our home.

World affairs

and local news

on any given day

can sometimes be more

than you can bear.

So what is God's solution?

What does God have for us?

For the earth,

his earth,

the peoples of the world.

What is he going to do

about the darkness?

Do you see Isaiah's answer?

Isaiah's answer is,

verse 1,

he's going to set his city alight.

He's going to turn the lights on.

Look at this,

it's very important.

He's not going to turn the lights on

everywhere.

But in one place,

in one place,

he'll turn the lights on.

We want global solutions,

don't we?

What's the answer?

To world hunger,

world poverty,

world injustice.

Okay, fine.

God has an answer

to world darkness

and it is in one place

and in one location.

His city,

arise,

shine,

for your light has come,

Jerusalem.

The glory of the Lord

has risen upon you,

O Zion.

So should we go to Heathrow?

Should we get on a plane

and travel there?

It would be wonderful,

wouldn't it,

to go to the city?

Is that what Isaiah's

talking about?

Everybody get on,

walking where Jesus

walked in Jerusalem.

I've never been to Jerusalem,

I'm told.

But the sunrise

over Mount Olives

when it comes up

in the east

and then it falls

on the city below,

they say it's a stunning sight.

Light floods,

walls and gates,

domes,

towers,

homes,

they're all bathed

in glorious light.

You've seen the pictures

like I have.

Tourists go,

don't they,

and marvel at it today.

There's got to be

something more than that.

It has to be.

This is the Lord

himself

rising

over Zion

like the sun.

So look,

Isaiah says,

what I'm about to show you,

yes,

is Zion,

but it is Zion

as a picture

of the new creation,

of what I'm going to do

at the end of time.

That's what we're

looking at here.

This is the kingdom

of God

come down to earth.

This is

John's vision

in Revelation

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21

and 22

of a new Jerusalem

given to us

in advance.

So when that day

comes,

when we get there,

when we see

the glory of the Lord

covering his world

in light,

here's what we'll see.

Three great more

shafts of light.

We'll see,

secondly,

a world at peace,

a family enriched.

A world at peace,

a family enriched.

2nd verses 3 to 5.

And nations,

shall come to your light.

And kings,

to the brightness

of your rising.

Lift up your eyes

all around and see.

They all gather together.

They come to you.

Your sons shall come

from afar

and your daughters

shall be carried

on the hip.

Then you shall see

and be radiant.

Your heart shall shrill

and exult

because the abundance

of the sea

shall be turned to you

and the wealth

of the nations

shall come to you.

The end of the world

will mean

the end of war

and the beautiful growth

of God's family.

The whole idea

starts in verse 3.

And you see it?

Nations and kings

will come to God's city.

But they're not coming

to make war.

In the ancient world,

kings travelled

for two reasons only.

And the two reasons

were,

number one,

to pay tribute

or to make war.

To pay homage

or to increase

their territory.

And so while the kings

are on the move,

just get a feel of it.

They've left their sons,

their swords at home.

The nuclear codes

have been forgotten.

Trident is finished.

The guns have fallen silent.

Make no mistake about it.

Here is huge military traffic.

But it's all for peace.

It's all for peace.

Verse 5,

the wealth

and the riches

of the nations

are coming in.

They're coming in

on the battleships

of the seas.

But there's no planes.

No aircraft carriers.

Verse 6,

they're bringing out

animals.

They're bringing gold

and incense.

Verse 11,

look,

these kings,

they are not coming

in pride and aggression

but they are being led,

verse 11,

like lambs

in a triumphal procession.

Look how clear it is

in verse 17.

The middle of verse,

at the end of verse 17,

I will make your overseers

peace.

And your taskmasters

righteousness.

Violence should be no more

heard in the lamp.

Devastation or destruction

within your borders.

You shall call your walls

salvation

and your gates

praise.

Here's why this is beautiful.

It is beautiful

because

a world of peace

is matched

all the way through

this chapter

with a family of one.

A family restored.

A family reunited.

Is there anything

more wonderful

for parents

than that day

when the children

who've been abroad

and they've been

away from you

and they're not

within reach

or sight

and they come home?

And they come home.

This is a family

enriched.

Look at verse 4.

Lift up your eyes

all around and see

and they all gather together.

They come to you.

Your sons

from afar

and your daughters

shall be carried

on the hip.

This might have a literal

meaning.

Those sons and daughters

have been carried off

into exile

and they're brought

back home

to Jerusalem.

They come through

the doors

of the terminal

and the family

are there

and they run

to each other

and embrace

oblivious

that the rest

of the world

is there

because there's

such joy.

Look at verse 9.

For the coastline

shall hope for me

the ships of Tarshish

first

to bring your children

from afar

to sell them

on their gold

with them

for the name

of the Lord

your God

and for the Holy

Man of Israel

because he's

made you beautiful.

Tarshish is likely

Spain.

It's not a place

that sons and daughters

were ever carried

off to exile.

No, it's better

to see this

as saying

at the end of time

the world is reborn

in glory

in a new creation

and every believer

will stream

into the heavenly

Jerusalem

as a son

and daughter

in Zion.

You see

because Isaiah

is talking about

the end of time

this is the

great fulfillment

of the promise

to Abraham

Genesis 12

and 15

and 17

through you

Abraham

all the nations

of the earth

will be blessed

and I will make

your descendants

as numerous

as the stars

in the sky

and I will make

your offspring

like the dust

of the earth

so that if anyone

could count the dust

then your offspring

could be counted.

Do you see it here?

God is keeping

his great promise

to Abraham

and here they come

in Zion

verse 9

sailing in on their ship

and all the islands

of the earth

bring Zion's sons

and Zion's daughters

and brothers

and sisters

and when we see

that at the end

when we see men

and women

from every tribe

and every tongue

and every people group

and when we see

paupers and princes

and lepers

and lords

and kings

and queens

pour through

Zion's gates

how will we feel?

about a couple

of years ago

I started to use

a line

when I preached

at a wedding

and I speak

to the husband

about his new wife

and I tell him

to put children

in her arms

and light

in his eyes

people love it

it's a great line

I should copyright it

children in her arms

and light

in her eyes

don't you love

I love the picture

can you just see it

with me

in verse 4

that picture at the end

and daughters

shall be carried

on the hip

you see the new mums

after the service

you see them

coming to church

it's a wonderful sight

it's wonderful

to have children

in worship

absolutely wonderful

and children

on their mother's hip

it's a picture of joy

and when you see that

how do you feel?

look at verse 5

then you shall see

and be radiant

your heart shall thrill

and exult

because the abundance

of the sea

shall be turned to you

the wealth of the nation

shall come to you

it puts light

in your eyes

it's that kind of joy

isn't it?

that's what God

has promised you

if you are in Christ

that's what God

has promised us

as the people of God

we this morning

we meet as Zion's

sons and daughters

we're marching to Zion

beautiful

beautiful Zion

come we that love the Lord

and let our joys be known

we're marching

to Emmanuel's land

we are her foreign children

you're not a Jew

you

and one day

we will enter her

we will enter her

always

never to be shut out

always safe

never dangerous

and we will look around

at more children of Zion

than we can ever count

and there will be Abraham

our great

great

great

great

great

great

great grandfather

with his millions

of spiritual children

all around him

maybe you've never

known a family reunion

maybe your family

is the kind of family

where war breaks out

and it's possible

that for some of us

we've not known joy

like this within our

four walls

and Isaiah says

just wait

just wait

because it's coming

and maybe you know

the joy of this

or you've known it

mothers and fathers

and you come back home

your children come back home

and you love it

end of term

they're coming home

soon

and you can't wait

you can't wait

to have them back again

and there's that throbbing

swelling joy

as you heard them

and Isaiah is saying to us

can we see the light

can you feel

can you feel

the glory of God

breaking upon us

warfare is past

harmony

family forever

but there's another

sharp of light here

a world in reverse

and a people enthroned

a world in reverse

and a people enthroned

the chapter is all about

a great reversal

in fact it's about

several great reversals

Isaiah is so skillful

at using reversals

so in Isaiah 16

I don't know whether

you noticed it

as I read it

everything is going

in reverse

it's going

in the opposite direction

from what we think

it would

so here are people

flocking to the city

and they are

thronging to it

and the nations

are coming to Zion

it's the main type

of verb

in the chapter

they are bringing

they are coming

they are traveling

they are gathering

they are processing

and look

it's not God's people

opening wide the gates

to go out to the world

it's the world

coming to them

you see that

it's the world

coming to their city

it's like a pilgrimage

in reverse

I don't know

whether you remember

seeing the

pictures of

Iraqi special forces

kind of bit by bit

advancing on Mosul

and they are trying

to take it back

from IS

I can't remember

the numbers

was it 20,000

or 200,000

a staggering number

of people

that were trapped

in that city

and as the army

arrives

what did they do

as the army arrives

what did they do

they flee the city

fled the city

this long line

snaking off

into the distance

over the horizon

that's what we are

familiar with

aren't we

we are familiar

with people

fleeing the city

on the run

a massive refugee

crisis all over

the world

people fleeing

but here Isaiah says

at the end of time

we will see the biggest

refugee community

the world has ever seen

as thousands

upon thousands

upon thousands

flock to the New Jerusalem

but it's not the only reversal

what's the real surprise here

the true back to front

new world order

did you notice that

it's that not only

are the nations

going against the flow

and now they are

travelling to Zion

but they are bowing

low before God's people

the kings of the earth

come to God's people

and the kings of the earth

come to God's people

and they lavish them

with gifts

and they bow low

before them

look at verse 7

all the flocks of Kedah

shall be gathered to you

the rams of Nebaoth

shall minister to you

they shall come up

with acceptance

on my altar

and I will beautify

my beautiful house

verse 10

foreigners

shall build up your walls

and their kings

shall minister to you

for in my wrath

I struck you

but in my favour

I have had mercy upon you

verse 14

the sons of those

who afflicted you

shall come

and bend in low to you

and all who despise you

shall bow at your feet

and they shall call you

the city of the Lord

the Zion

of the Holy One of Israel

former top dogs

now take second place

who is the royal title

now in this new world

Queen Elizabeth

is it Robert Mugabe

who wins here

in the end

the dictator

or the dictator

look at verse 15

whereas

you have been forsaken

and hated

with no one passing through

I will make you majestic

from ever

a joy from age to age

do you see the reversal

God's people are now enthroned

God's people are now

given

royal stated

and the nations

bow low

you are a royal priesthood

make no mistake

here

the nations are not

forced into it

this is what the nations

want to do

verse 9

they bring their wealth

and honour to the Lord

look how homely it is

verse 8

these great mighty warrior kings

coming to Zion

they are like

verse 8

doves

doves coming over to the windows

to their nest

they're coming home to roost

and they're coming back to where they belong

under God's wing

and as they get there

they find this little tiny church

down the road

that no one hardly ever knew existed

and there was Mr and Mrs Jones

who prayed

and gave

and gave

and served

and served

and out of that church

some went to world mission

and Mr and Mrs Jones

prayed

and lived

very ordinary lives

there they are

with the wealth of Saudi Arabia

brought in through the door

and because missionaries

went to Saudi Arabia

with the gospel

there are some of the

royal rulers of the kingdom

bowing low

before Mr and Mrs Jones

who prayed for those missionaries

and gave to those missionaries

and they say

this is Zion

this is God's city

your God is

our God

how do we know

how do we know

it's true

how do we know

the nations will do this

how do you know this

well we've seen it already

what did you make of verse 6

is it too early for Christmas

verse 6

a multitude of camels

shall come

even the young camels

of Midian and Ephra

all those from Sheba

shall come

and they shall bring gold

and frankincense

and bring good news

the praises

of the Lord

we three kings

of Orient are

one in a bus

one in a car

we bear gifts

we travel from afar

except there were three

weren't there

well actually we don't know

how many wise men were there

I quite like to think

there were 300

there may have been 30

there may have been 3

there may have been

who knows

but what happened

is that the kings

of the earth

brought gold

and frankincense

and myrrh

for the Lord

let's get this

what happened there

for the Lord

of heaven and earth

lay in a manger

and the greatest

on earth

I would low

before the least

of the earth

kings

before a baby

I hope you believe it

with all your heart

and so that when you

watch the news

and when you lead

your tiny little

bible study group

and when you attend

a house group of 6

or you speak in a

conference of 600

when you teach the bible

to children

or you preach to 500

when you get the news

of Relief International

or the Barnabas Fund

or Asher's Bakery

or missionaries

in Japan

like I did this week

that mighty vast nation

that slumbers

all in darkness

and the church

is too small

and the people

are too weak

or you get the news

of pastors imprisoned

in Iran

and Korea

I hope you believe

with all your heart

that one day

one day

the reversal is coming

the world

will flow backwards

and the sons

of our oppressors

will come bowing

to us

I want to give us

a very particular

application about this

this morning

I'll come back to it

in the last point

but I want to finish

with this last point

what does it mean

that the world

will flow backwards

everything will be

turned upside down

and fourthly

a world in eternity

God in our midst

if the end of the world

will see the world

flow backwards

and kings will serve servants

and the homeless

will eat at the royal table

and the persecutor

will bow before

the persecuted

if the world

will go into a reverse

if those things happen

then Isaiah says

it's even as if

time and creation

will flow backwards

into God

so Isaiah teaches us

doesn't he

that the very things

that God gives us

to mark time

and seasons

to separate

night and day

they'll just be turned off

they'll not be

these anymore

because in verse 19

the Lord himself

will be our light

and God will be

with us

and on every side

we will see his glory

and it's as if

everything will go back

to how it was meant

to be in the beginning

only better

yes it will be Eden

but it will be better

than Eden

for in the beginning

there was a garden

and there was

a sun and a moon

in the sky

but now at the end

there will be a city

and instead of Adam

and Eve

verse 22

there will be a thousand

mighty nations

of people

on every hand

on every hand

and we will live

forever in the perfect

world with God

himself in our midst

and your days

of sorrow will end

and your days

of sorrow will end

what was the sorrow

that this was

for the people

in Isaiah's day

do you remember

what their sorrow

was well it was

oppression wasn't it

it was verse 14

scorn

verse 15

injustice

think of chapters

58 to 59

sorrow for sin

think of chapter 57

it will be all over

so let me give you

two applications

for this week

some of us

have seen enough

and lived long enough

to know that sorrow

seems to be on hand

on every side really

I went to see someone

last week

and they said to me

it seems like my friends

are being picked off

one by one

Derek Kidner

is one of my favourite

commentators

he was a wonderful

godly

humble

Old Testament scholar

late in life

he wrote about

the general

desolations

of old age

he said

not only may the

light of the faculties

and the senses

begin to fade

but so too

the warm glow

of old friends

familiar customs

and long held hopes

age

steals each away

he wrote

all this will come

at a stage

when there is no

longer the resilience

of youth

or the prospect

of recovery

to offset it

in one's early years

and the greater part

of life

troubles and illnesses

are chiefly setbacks

not disasters

one expects

the sky to clear

eventually

it's hard to adjust

to the closing

of that long chapter

to know that now

in the final stretch

there will be no

improvement

the clouds

will always gather

again

and time will

no longer heal

but kill

but Isaiah says

there will come a time

when your sun

will never set

again

and your moon

will wane

no more

and the Lord

will be your

everlasting light

and your days

of sorrow

will end

and here's an

application for all

of us

let's never forget

this

that one day

everything will go

backwards

one day the nations

will come to us

but until then

and we have to get

this right

we go to them

until the end

until the new creation

we go to them

until this day

friends

until the daylight

breaks

and the shadows

flee away

and the glory

of the Lord

covers the earth

until we get there

we board airplanes

we kiss our

families goodbye

we take our

children

God willing

to the ends

of the earth

to serve the gospel

to Afghanistan

to Pakistan

to Iran

here's how it works

because people

go to them

because the

cabins

Joe and Fred

will go to

North Africa

because Ian

and Heather

Jones

will go

to Burkino

Faso

because Jose

Segorio

will go

to Madrid

because they

go

one day

the nations

will come

and maybe

this morning

you never

thought that

world mission

was for you

but it is

going

or giving

or praying

because you

wonder what

will really

come of it

and look

says God

here it is

if you go

look who

comes

and so maybe

Japan that I

read of this

week will

one day

become like

China

and maybe

the

cavils

as they

go to

North Africa

and everyone

that they

have worked

with will

be dead

and gone

but the

joy of

generation

after generation

after generation

of North Africans

will be the

glory of the

Lord who

knows

did you

know that

the same

Rome that

crucified the

Lord Jesus

Christ in the

first century

AD

bowed the

knee to him

in the

fourth century

AD

when

Constantine

declared

himself a

Christian

where will

you be this

time tomorrow

five past

twelve

in office

in school

room

with your

children

well we can

share the

gospel can't

we with

confidence

and with

joy

does IPC

have a

future

well Isaiah

blows the

doors off

doesn't he

about what

we think of

time scales

and measuring

devices

because no

one has a

future

like the

people of

God

no one

has a

future

for those

who belong

like those

who belong

to Zion

for this

city

forsaken

hated

ignored

this city

will one

day be the

joy of the

whole earth

amen