Isaiah 57

In a relationship, it's quite easy for a gap to appear, a kind of relational gap.

! And it's easy in a relationship, even in a strong relationship, for a gap to appear and problems to come.

And that's really what you've got in Isaiah 57.

You've got a relationship where there's a gap between two parties, and it could not be wider.

It's not a gap of class or income level.

It's not even kind of a little falling out or kind of relational coolness.

But there's a great gap in the end of Isaiah 57.

It concerns two things. It concerns holiness and sin.

On one side of the gap, you have God, who is holy.

And then on the other side of the gap, you have yourself, us, who are not holy, but sinners.

And the gap is insurmountable. It can't be bridged.

However, in this standing passage today, God is going to explain to us that he has done absolutely everything necessary

to bridge the gap between himself and you.

He wants to bring you to his dwelling place and to his home.

God desires to open the door of his home and welcome you in forever.

And Isaiah is going to point us to the holy God, who in order to be hospitable, heals the humble.

I don't think I've ever had four H's in my theme sentence before.

That's quite unusual. It's a stroke of genius, really.

Holy God, who in order to be hospitable, heals the humble.

It's easy to do that with P's and T's, but not so easy on H's.

So let's look at, first of all, the barrier to God's hospitality, then the means to God's hospitality,

then the result of God's hospitality.

The barrier to God's hospitality, look at verse 14.

And it shall be said, build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstacle from my people's way.

Literally, the beginning is, he will say, because it's God speaking.

And what he says in verse 14 is not that dissimilar from what he said already.

You should pick up that in Isaiah.

He kind of repeats himself quite a lot.

So remember Isaiah 40.

They're very familiar words.

God says, comfort, comfort my people.

A voice of one calling, prepare the way for the Lord.

Make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.

That's chapter 40.

And in chapter 40, Isaiah was speaking about a highway that needs to be constructed,

because the king, God the king, was coming to town.

God the king was coming to comfort his people.

And God the king would lead them home along this road after their exile.

So prepare the way for that kind of king.

And God instructs, doesn't he, he says, all the valleys be filled in.

All the mountains be levelled off and brought down.

But here in chapter 57, God is calling for another public works section, project.

And the project is not for God himself.

This highway is for his people.

But still, it's to be clearly a prominent road so that no one can miss it.

It should be free from obstacles.

No one's going to stumble on this way.

There'll be no accidents.

No highway maintenance necessary.

God says, get rid of the boulders.

I want you to get rid of those fallen trees.

I want you to fill in those gullies so that they'll no longer be in the way.

From exile in Babylon.

There'll be a road.

No, those who walk this highway have already trodden, haven't they, the path from Babylon.

The highway is to take God's people through these present trials of this life and through their struggles to their final home.

God's home.

That's what this highway is about.

It's a highway to the final destination, the kingdom of God, which lay in the future for them.

And still lays in the future for us.

It's a highway for you and I to walk on.

And it's a highway, God says, there are to be no obstacles that will prevent us ultimately.

There'll be no obstacles that will prevent us from getting to the final destination as God's people.

And that's interesting, isn't it?

Because the biggest obstacle to people making it to God's home, God's dwelling place, his kingdom, is God's holiness and our sin.

And that's what Isaiah moves right into in verse 15.

You see what he says?

For thus says the one who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy.

I will dwell in the high and holy place.

And also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.

And again, verse 15 is a flashback.

It's a flashback to an earlier part of Isaiah.

He uses language which would remind his listeners.

We've heard this before.

And it's to point you back, isn't it, to Isaiah chapter 6.

Isaiah 6 · chapter mention

Let me remind you of how Isaiah 6 opened.

In the year that King Uzziah died.

I saw the Lord, Isaiah says, seated on a throne, high and exalted.

And the train of his robe filled the temple.

And above him was Saras with six wings.

With two wings they covered their faces.

With two wings they covered their feet.

And with two they were flying.

And the angels called to one another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty.

The whole earth is full of his glory.

And at the sound of their voices, the doorposts and the threshold shook.

And the temple was filled with smoke.

And Isaiah is now reminding us, in case anyone has forgotten,

through these 50 chapters that have gone past,

that who this God is.

He is the God who is in charge.

He is the God who is the rightful ruler of the universe.

And who therefore has got the ultimate authority in your life and in mine.

He is the God who is above all things.

He is exultant and resplendent.

And he is the God who is holy.

And so here in chapter 57 we're told that his name is holy.

His name has a holiness attached to it.

But here we're told he is actually called holy.

Because in the Bible names always mean something, don't they?

In the Bible a name points to a person's character, to their nature.

And God's name is holy because at his core he is holy.

That is because the seraphim, they call back and forth in the temple,

holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.

It's not enough for them to double the word in emphasis.

In essence they create a super supermative.

To express what their God is like and how holy he is.

The word holy literally means waiting.

Essentially to say that God is holy is to say that God is God.

It points to his separateness.

It points to his moral purity and perfection.

His holiness is at the very core of his identity.

It is his utterly unique divine essence.

Because it defines everything that he is.

And everything that he does.

His name is holy.

And you and I will never be able to grasp what the Bible is about.

You will never understand why you need the gospel.

You will never understand the good news of the Lord Jesus

if you don't start with God's holiness.

You won't get it.

You'll never understand the problem

unless you start with God's holiness.

And so I think that's partly the problem with it.

Why there are so many half-hearted

in church, out of church, are they Christian, are they not Christian people.

Because they've never really understood that God is holy.

P.T. Forsyth was an eminent Scottish minister and theologian

at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century.

Here's how he explains the centrality of God's holiness.

He says the holiness of God is the real foundation of religion.

It is certainly the rule and interest of the Christian religion.

In front of all our prayer or works stands,

hallowed be thy name.

God's holiness is the interest

which all the rest of it serves.

Neither love, grace and faith nor sin

has any meaning

but a passing meaning

except that they rest on the holiness of God.

Except as they arise from it

and return to it.

Except as they satisfy it.

Show it forth and set it up.

And secure it everywhere and forever.

Love

is but his holiness outgoing.

Sin

is but its defiance.

Grace

is but its action on sin.

The cross

is but its victory.

Faith

is but its worship.

The holiness of God

is the foundation of

everything.

Everything that we believe.

And that of course

leaves us in an enormous predicament.

Because to put it bluntly

God is holy

and you and I am not.

Isaiah describes us

and how God's natural attitude

is towards us.

Look at verse 17.

For I will not contend forever

nor will I always be angry

for the spirit

would grow faint

before me

and the breath

of life

I made.

Because of the iniquity

of his unjust gain

I was angry.

I struck him.

I hid my face

and was angry.

But he went on

back sliding

in the way of his own heart.

God could have pointed

to countless things

on ways in which we act

that enrage him rightly.

Here he just highlights

our sinful greed.

Specifically

the way that we

disadvantage others

in order to

advantage ourselves.

Always looking

to put number one

in the right place

so to speak.

Perhaps what is

most saddling here

is not so much

the particular sin

to which God refers

but what happens

after he punishes

those who rebelled

against him.

He says

no matter how much

no matter how much

I punish those

no matter how much

I warn those

no matter how much

I try to get them

to move in a different

direction

they keep going

in the same direction.

They go on

by sliding

in the way

of his own heart.

Is that what

Einstein defined

as his sanity?

Doing the same thing

over and over again

expecting different results.

And that is what we do.

We continue somehow

in the way of rebellion.

God somehow

seeks to intervene

in the person's life

from walking

their own proud way.

He tries to get

their attention

so that they will

change direction

and change course.

But what do they do?

What do we do?

Maybe God is trying

to get your attention

today.

He warns us.

He chastises us.

And we get up

and we keep going

in the same direction

as we were before.

God is holy

and we are not.

And that is a barrier

to you and I

receiving God's

hospitality and welcome.

Interestingly

God indicates here

that despite the fact

he is holy

and we are not

which creates

this barrier

he is willing

to show hospitality.

Or more specifically

he is willing

to dwell

with a certain

group of people.

Look at how he defines

that group of people

in verses 16 and 17.

For I will not

contend forever

nor will I always

be angry

for the spirit

would grow faint

before me.

And the breath

of life that I made

because of the iniquity

of his unjust gain

I was angry.

I struck him.

I hid my face

and was angry.

But he went on

in the way

back sliding

in his own heart.

Sorry

look at verse 15

this verse I should have read.

For thus says

the one who is high

and lifted up

who inhabits

eternity

whose name is holy

I will dwell

in the high

and holy place

but also with him

who is of contrite

and lowly spirit.

Do you see

who God commits

to dwelling with?

He commits

to dwell

with people

who are contrite

and who are lowly

and who are humble

and you might say

okay

so these people

are humble

but that doesn't

make them holy.

They've still

messed up

like the rest of us.

They deserve

the barrier

to hospitality

just like everybody else

and you'd be

absolutely right.

The difference is

because these people

who are humble

in their humility

have recognised

their sin

and they've recognised

what has caused

the barrier

they acknowledge

their abject

shortcomings

before God

they recognise

that God is God

and that they are not

and so they come

humbly before God

they have nothing

which is in contrast

to how Isaiah portrays

the bullish

and the wicked

the rebellious

because one of the traits

of that kind of person

is that

they're not humble

they are proud

Lewis Smeet

describes the opposite

side

to a contrite

and lonely spirit

listen to what he says

he says

pride in the spiritual sense

is a refusal

to let God

be God

it is to grab

God's stages

for your own self

it is turning down

God's invitation

to join the

dance of life

as a creature

in God's world

and wishing instead

to be the creator

independent

relying on your own

resources

that is the greatest

delusion

the delusional

fantasy of all

fantasies

the cosmic put on

you see the proud

person is the person

who defines

the rules

by which they live

in a small way

or a big way

the proud person

always wants to

insist

they are right

the proud person

wants to think

that their record

in life

will somehow

be good enough

for God

to accept

the proud person

sees ultimately

no need

for God

in life

because they've

got it all

figured out

and they don't

want to be

dependent upon

anyone else

and God

says

I'm sorry

but for that

kind of person

I do not have

any accommodation

in my dwelling

place

for people

who are

proud

there's no room

but I delight

to dwell

with the humble

and the contrite

the lowly

and so God

in this way

is not like

most people

upward mobility

is the name

of the game

there would be

no neighbourhood

too classy

for us to live

if we had

the money

but God

shows that

he doesn't

value upward

mobility

he values

downward

mobility

it's not

because God

feels uncomfortable

dwelling in the

high and holy

place

which Isaiah

speaks of

it's not

because he

feels

out there

on his

own

it's not

because he's

somehow bothered

with his

surroundings

and he's lonely

after all these

years of eternity

no he values

downward mobility

because down

low

down low

is where God

finds people

that are open

to him

and so to the

extent in which

you are resistant

to God

the extent that

you might be

unwilling to be

open to God

that extent

is the indicator

of how much

pride is still

dominant in your

life

because it is

the humble

and the lowly

who God

invites to

dwell with

him

and that is

all very well

God is holy

and we are

not

God does

not

God does

invite those

to dwell

with him

because they

are humble

and contrite

but the question

is how can

they do that

if he is

holy

how can God

invite people

to travel on

this highway

to his dwelling

place when

this massive

gap still

exists

and so we

look at the

means to

God's

hospitality

and Isaiah

shows us

here God

can do it

because he

is the

holy God

who in

order to be

humble

hospitable

heals

the humble

he heals

the humble

two steps

so how does

God do it

number one

God acquits

the guilty

he acquits

the humble

look at

verse 16

for I

will not

contend

forever

nor will

I

always

be

angry

for the

spirit

would

grow

faint

before

me

and the

breath

of life

that I

made

he

says

he

enters

in

doesn't

he

to a

kind of

legal

proceeding

against

someone

and God

says

there will

come a

time

when I

will not

just drop

the charges

because I

can't do

that

but I

will

declare

you

not

guilty

God

will

somehow

find a

way to

satisfy

his

legal

requirements

and Isaiah

says God

will also

bring an

end to

his

anger

when God

refers to

his

anger

he's not

talking about

having a

short fuse

or a

bad

temper

or a

malicious

spirit

like we

might have

it's not

some

arbitrary

action

no

his

anger

or his

wrath

is his

personal

righteous

constant

hostility

to evil

it is his

settled

refusal to

compromise

with evil

and his

resolve that

one day

completely

and utterly

he will

condemn it

which means

he will

bring an

end to it

and so

his anger

is a

rightful

anger

and he

promises to

deal

comprehensively

with evil

and God

promises here

that he

plans to

do that

and he

can only

bring an

end to

his

anger

by dealing

with it

by dealing

with the

reason for

which

for that

anger

and the

reason for

God's

anger is

our

evil

and that's

just as well

because if God

was not going

to bring his

anger to an

end it would

mean the end

of all living

things

and it would

mean the end

of you and

me

and God

promises that

he is going

to deal with

his anger

but he

acquits the

guilty

and the

second step

is the

healing

self

so look

at verse

18

he says

I have

seen his

ways

but I

will heal

him

I will

lead him

and restore

comfort to

him and his

mourners

creating the

fruit of the

lips

peace

peace to

the far

and to

the near

says the

Lord

and I

will heal

him

now let's

just hit

the pause

button for

a moment

I think

what is God

saying here

literally he

says I've

seen his

ways

but I

will heal

him

and it's

interesting he's

talking about

individuals here

he's not talking

about a mass

of people

he's talking

about you

and he's

talking about

me

he says I've

seen your

ways

but he knows

absolutely

everything about

you

he's seen

the good

and he's

seen the

bad

he's seen

the ugly

he's seen

the successes

he's seen

the celebration

he's seen

the devastation

and the

disasters

he's seen

it all

he sees

how your

thinking works

he sees

what you're

thinking right

now

he says stop

thinking about

lunch for a

minute

he knows

exactly

what you're

thinking

he knows

your heart

he knows

what you

long for

he says

don't you

know

that

that's

idolatry

to be

longing

for

all that

all the

time

and then

having said

that

he says

these

momentous

words

but I

will heal

him

I've

seen his

ways

but I

will heal

him

and that

is those

God says

who come

to me

in humility

those who

come with

contrite

broken

hearts

knowing

that the

only thing

that they

contribute to

their salvation

is their

sin from

which they

need to be

forgiven

and God

says I

will heal

them

God says

to every

person here

this morning

I've seen

your ways

everything

yes even

that

I've seen

that too

but if you

will come

to me

and come

with humility

and come

with a

broken

heart

I will

heal

you

Isaiah

in this

chapter

doesn't

explain

how

he

will

do

that

but he

did

in Isaiah

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

chapter 53

because in the

suffering servant

that chapter

about Jesus

the suffering

servant says

to those who

will trust

their lives

to him

I have

seen your

ways

but I

will heal

you

by dying

for you

Isaiah

53

by his

stripes

you

are healed

and Jesus

adds to the

promise here

the first

clause

for the

suffering

servant

to say

I've seen

your ways

remind us

what happened

reminds us

what happened

to Jesus

in the

garden of

Gethsemane

that night

before Jesus

was crucified

think about it

from Matthew's

gospel

we read

that Jesus

began to be

sorrowful

and troubled

and the word

trouble has got

the kind of

sense of the

word horror

mental and

spiritual

anguish

that Jesus

must have

felt this is

going to kill

me even

before he

got to the

cross

and he

tells Peter

and James

and John

that his

soul was

overwhelmed

with sorrow

to the point

of death

and in addition

to that

Luke tells

us that he

sweats

great drops

of blood

medical experts

say that it

is unusual

but possible

for blood

to pour out

of your

pores

together with

sweat

and they're

experiencing

severe shock

so what's

the deal

why is he

like that

it's not as

if Jesus

had some

new information

in the

garden

no

Jesus

doesn't say

in the goodness

oh my goodness

this is really

going to happen

I didn't think

this was going

to really

happen

he knew

he was going

to die

and why

he would

die

so it

wasn't that

the night

suddenly went

on in the

garden

and he

realised

what was

happening

it was

Jesus

a wimp

you contrast

that with

countless other

people who

have died

for what they

believe in

people who

have died

in the name

of Jesus

have shown

what looks

like more

poise and

more peace

doesn't it

than Jesus

does

the French

Huguenots

they were

burnt at the

stake

and they

would lean

into the

flames

to burn

the cloth

that was

covering

their mouths

so they

could continue

singing praise

to God

as they

were burned

Hugh Latimer

the English

reformer

said to

Nicholas Ridley

as they

were being

burned

be of good

cheer

Mr Ridley

we shall

by God's

great grace

light such a

candle in

England

that I

trust

shall never

be put

out

here is

Jesus

though

distressed

trouble

sweating

blood

reeling

in sorrow

what's the

deal

why the

agony

the answer

is because

of what

he saw

in the

garden

Matthew

tells us

at one

point in

the garden

Jesus

fell with

his face

to the

ground

and he

prays

to his

father

father

if this

is

possible

may

this

cup

be

taken

from

me

yet

not as

I

will

but as

you

will

and you

say

well what

cup

is he

talking

about

is it

a

physical

cup

well of

course

it's

not

no Jesus

is referring

to that

cup

that the

Bible

speaks of

in the

Old

Testament

as the

cup

of the

wrath

of God

on human

sin

and evil

and at that

point Jesus

gets a

glimpse

a preview

of the

depth of

our sin

for which

he would

die

and he

gets a

preview of

God's

wrath

that was

going to be

poured out

upon him

because of

your sin

and my

sin

and he

recoils

in shock

he gets

a preview

of what

it would

mean for

him to

descend

into

death

as the

creed

says

of the

hell he

would

suffer

and he

shudders

in anguish

it's not

the death

of a

martyr

like a

Huguenot

or Latimer

or Ridley

as horrible

as those

deaths

it is

Jesus

seeing your

sin

and my

sin

seeing the

deserved

wrath

and punishment

that sin

deserved

and saying

yes

father

I have

seen

their

ways

I have

seen

their

ways

but will

heal

them

I will

die

for

them

the

Lord

is the

holy

God

who in

order to

be

hospitable

has

committed

to

heal

the

humble

and so

from that

true

diagnosis

to this

graceful

remedy

I will

heal

he says

and God

then points

us to

the result

of this

hospitality

thirdly

what happens

when we

get as we

are received

into this

dwelling place

there again

at verse

18

to verse

21

I have

seen

his ways

but I

will

heal

him

I will

lead

him

and restore

comfort

to him

in his

mourners

creating the

fruit of

the lips

peace

peace

to the

far

and to

the

near

says

the

Lord

and I

will

heal

him

but the

wicked

like the

tossing sea

for it

cannot be

silent

and its

waters

toss up

mire

and dirt

there is

no peace

says my

God

for the

wicked

so you

see having

healed

the

humble

God

then leads

to a new

way of

life

a new

lifestyle

God

says I'm

now

committed

to lead

you

24

7

I'm

never

going to

abandon

you

I'm

always

going to

be with

you

and he's

going to

lead us

to a

completely

different

relationship

with himself

described

here as

comfort

for the

mourners

comfort

for those

who mourn

over sin

and repent

and turn

to him

but if you

want one

word

to summarise

one word

to summarise

what does

it mean

to dwell

in God's

house

to have

God's

hospitality

to move

in with

God

into his

dwelling

place

God gives

us one

word

in fact

he gives

it twice

and it's

the word

peace

verse 19

Shalom

it's a word

that has

at its root

wholeness

and well

being

and it

points us

to a

flourishing

and a

fulfilment

in every

area of

life

in your

spiritual

life

in physical

life

in emotional

life

in cultural

life

it's a

word that

has everything

to do with

wholeness

wholeness

in your

relationship

with God

and our

relationship

with one

another

but God

says that

peace is

forfeited

by one

group in

the world

and it's

lavished upon

another

it's forfeited

by the wicked

verse 21

no rest

for the wicked

we normally

say that

don't we

tongue in

cheek

I'm so

busy

I'm so

busy

there's no

rest for the

wicked

but there's

nothing

tongue in

cheek

about

Isaiah

57

because

based on

what Isaiah

has told us

in this

chapter

the wicked

are not

the contrite

and they

are not

the humble

and they

do not

turn to

God

and they

say I

will live

life my

way

I'll do

things my

way

I'm happy

to go to

church

but I

don't want

you in

my life

Lord

I don't

need you

and God

says to

those people

fair enough

but if

you're

wondering

why your

life feels

like constantly

stormy seas

it's restless

and turbulent

with waves

raking up

mire and mud

mire and mud

that is why

but as long

as you keep

generating sludge

in your life

through your

pride and your

self-righteousness

and your greed

there will be

no peace

and peace

is forfeited

by the wicked

but to those

who humbly

come before

God in

repentance

and faith

well both

far and

near

Paul picks

up on that

in Romans 2

in a prophecy

of the gospel

he says it's

for Jews

and for Gentiles

far and near

for those kind

of people

there is peace

in fact there's

peace

peace

to magnitude

to express

it

the excellence

of this

peace

is repeated

peace

peace

in its

fullness

peace

with God

and peace

with one

another

and peace

with ourselves

sometimes it's

hard to know

what peace

the writer is

focusing on in the

bible

which pieces of

peace is he

talking about

but I think here

it's obvious

because he repeats

I will heal him

in the singular

and so the

emphasis

I think in

Isaiah 57

falls on

personal peace

but that is

God's commitment

to those who

come and dwell

with him

and that is a

good place to

land up as we

finish

because I am

guessing that for

many of us here

we would count

ourselves among

those whom God

has healed

we would say

yes that's me

those whom God

has rescued from

sin

those whom God

has been and

is being hospitable

but when we

describe the

experiences of

the wicked

where life

constantly feels

like stormy

seas and

restless and

turbulent

there are some

of us out there

that think to

ourselves

I know God

has rescued me

I know I'm no

longer in the

category of the

wicked but that

description feels

awfully like what

my life is like

and you say I

long to know

what that peace

feels like in

my life

because right

now I'm not

peaceful at

all

what I want to

say to you

what you've seen

in the book of

Isaiah is that

knowing peace

in the Christian

life

is not to

bracket out

but to bracket

in

what do I mean

most people

today when they

talk about finding

peace in their

life

they almost

always think

that it is

removing

certain thoughts

and they think

it's removing

certain actions

that peace

is to do

with the

removal of

certain thoughts

or situations

and that way

of peace is

always going to

come down to

techniques

and so that

is why most

books on

stress or

anxiety or

worry

will suggest

you techniques

like relaxation

or work life

balance or

sitting on a

beach

watching the

waves

doing yoga

regularly

and so that

you can bracket

out everything

else in your

life

you remove the

source of stress

and tension

in other words

peace will come

to you as you

are able to get

rid of those

stressful thoughts

and as pleasant

and as helpful

as those things

may be

the problem is

they always

over promise

they promise you

something that

they cannot

provide

in fact to try

and bracket

out and to

repress our

worries and

anxieties

actually leads

to them finding

other outlets

doesn't it

and it leads

to unhealthy

and damaging

patterns in

life in

other areas

some people

would say

you just need

to have a

more pragmatic

approach

you know

why worry

all the worry

in the world

isn't going to

make a difference

is it

you said that

I said that

but you're the

one who's anxious

and worrying

well you know

that's true

don't you

people who worry

and are anxious

that's stupid

they know that

all the worrying

in the world

isn't going to

make a difference

but that doesn't

solve the problem

of worrying

it doesn't

deal with a

particular situation

that you're

worried about

it's not very

helpful at all

but whatever

approach is used

by people to

try and find

peace and it's

not only some

variation on

those themes

it's to bracket

out everything

that's causing

you anxiety

the problem

is this

your mind

and your

heart

and my

mind

and my

heart

are anxiety

producing

factories

and we

never manage

to get rid

of it

but you see

the peace

that God

promises you

is something

completely different

because this

peace Isaiah

says is a

result of

God's

hospitality

it's a

result of

moving in

with God

it's a

result of

God

receiving

and dwelling

with us

in other

words in

Isaiah 57

and throughout

the Bible

peace is not

the absence

of something

but it's the

presence of

someone

Christian peace

is not about

the absence

of something

but about

the presence

of someone

Christian peace

is not about

expelling

some negative

thoughts

because when

you do that

all you're doing

is living in

denial

you're trying

to ignore

reality and not

being willing

to face it

so how does

Christianity

approach the

peace that we

long for

here is how

if you are a

Christian you

don't bracket

out you

bracket in

you think of

the big picture

and so instead

of some

technique you

think through

the ultimate

truth that you

know

and the

implications of

those truths

that enable you

to triumph

over restlessness

and triumph

over anxiety

and stress

and fear

and the truth