Isaiah 33

Well, through turning your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 33, Isaiah chapter 33, if you're ever to come this evening, we'd love to see you through.

Isaiah 33 · chapter mention Isaiah 33 · chapter mention

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Isaiah 33, C.S. Lewis wrote these words about his conversion from atheism to Christianity.

He says, you must picture me alone in that room in Magdalene, the college in Oxford.

Night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted, even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of him, who I so earnestly desired not to meet.

That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me.

In the Trinity term of 1929, I gave in and admitted that God was God, and Nelson prayed.

Perhaps that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.

I did not see then what was the most shining and obvious thing.

The divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms.

The prodigal said at least walked home on his own feet.

But who can duly adore that love which will open the high gates to a prodigal who is brought in, kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance to escape.

Now whether you or I realize it or not, Lewis is actually speaking for every single one of us.

Because you and I, we all come to God reluctantly.

We all return to God reluctantly.

Because we find it so hard, don't we all of us, to give up control, to give up ownership.

And leisure from our lives.

But you see what C.S. Lewis discovered in this journey.

He speaks of this, divine humility.

Divine humility which accepts a convert even on those terms of reluctance.

That God is always more ready to meet us than we are to meet him.

And that is what we actually find in chapter 33.

If you've been with us in this series, you will know that it's been very evident that the people of Jerusalem,

they run in every direction for their safety, for their salvation, for their security.

They run in every direction that is, apart from the direction which God is in.

And yet, here in Isaiah 33, we are finally pointed to a time when they turn back to God.

Not as the one who is their great fountain of delight and joy of all good, but really to God as their last resort.

And repentance is not a way of life for the people of Jerusalem.

It's a last gasp effort to avoid disaster.

And yet, God humbly receives them.

And one clue to the changing situation for the people of Jerusalem actually comes in verse 1 of verse 23.

Ah, it should be woe.

Woe, you destroyer.

You who have not been destroyed.

You traitor.

Whom none has betrayed.

When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed.

And when you have been finished betraying, you will be betrayed.

If you read from Isaiah 28 onwards, up to this point, you'll have noticed that there were a number of markers along the way.

The ESV really messes this part up.

I can't understand why it doesn't use the word woe in verse 1 of Isaiah 33.

We get six woes in these chapters.

But there's a difference because up to now, all the woes have been about God's people.

They'd be focused on Judah and Jerusalem.

The people of God have been running away from God.

And God has said through the prophet Isaiah, woe to you.

But this one is different.

Because in chapter 1, verse 1, it's addressed to the enemy of God.

To Assyria.

The one who's been destroying Judah is going to be destroyed itself.

The one who's betrayed Judah will be betrayed itself.

And so the tables have turned.

And now the woe is not on God's people, but on his enemies.

And we want to ask, how can God act like that?

How can he accept people who come to him kicking and screaming, who come to him really as a last resort?

And if that is true for the people of Jerusalem, it's true for you and I too.

And so I want us to follow the lead of the passage and you to do four things.

I want us to take the highway, the green cross code, isn't it?

To stop and to look and to listen.

And then to listen again.

To stop, to look and to listen.

And if you look at the chapter, it seems to be addressed to an audience who needs to think about their standing with God.

It starts from the perspective of a people who've come to God as a last ditch effort for rescue.

And they have found that God has humbly and gently received them.

So it tells us that God's attitude to overdo repentance,

His attitude to overdo repentance is actually gracious renewal.

His attitude to overdo repentance, when we come to him late, he is still gracious.

Or we can put it differently.

When God is all we have, we find that God is all we need.

When God is all that we have, we find that God is all we need.

So we need to learn this lesson.

So first of all, let's look at the stop, verses 2-6.

O Lord, be gracious to us.

We wait for you.

Be our arm every morning.

Our salvation in the time of trouble.

As the tumultuous noise, peoples flee.

When you lift yourself up, nations are scattered.

And your spoil is gathered.

As the caterpillars gather.

As locusts leap.

It is left upon.

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high.

He will fill Zion, His glorious city, with justice and righteousness.

And He will be the stability of your times.

Abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge.

The fear of the Lord is Zion's treasure.

Jerusalem in verse 2 basically says,

Lord, please stop treating us as our sins deserve.

We've stopped trusting in others.

Times have changed.

Finally, the people of Jerusalem have stopped trying to rescue themselves.

And finally, they heed Isaiah's preaching.

And as we saw in chapter 30,

where Isaiah said,

Blessed are all those who wait on Him, who rely on Him.

And finally, they're waiting for God.

But like C.S. Lewis,

they're not moving in this direction in the most eager of ways.

Jerusalem has been threatened, doesn't it,

by the Assyrian Empire.

But God said,

You don't need to worry about that.

I will protect you.

For that isn't tangible enough for the people of Jerusalem.

Other rulers.

That's not the way they see other nations doing international diplomacy.

So they decide,

We've got to do it another way.

We will go to Egypt.

And we will ask them to help us.

And they look to form an alliance with the Egyptians to the south.

But in the end, Egypt lets them down.

And the pressure from Assyria doesn't let up.

So King Hezekiah, the king of Judah, decides,

You know what I'll do?

I'll try and buy Assyria off.

So we actually read in 2 Kings 18,

He takes the money from the temple treasury.

He strips down all the gold from the doors in the temple.

And he hands it all over to the king of Assyria.

To get him off his back.

It's a pretty bad move, isn't it, when you think of it.

Because not only does he treat God as a worthless ally.

But now they make God from his temple pay the bill.

The bill for their disobedience and their disloyalty.

Picture the people of Jerusalem.

As they carry the chests of silver and gold through the gates of the city.

To the Assyrian outpost.

To the command centre at a distance.

And they think, finally, finally we've got some peace from Assyria.

Finally the Assyrians, they will leave us alone.

Finally the siege will be over.

And they watch waiting for the foreign army to pack up camp.

To put its weapons away.

To fold up the tents.

But it doesn't happen.

Because the Assyrians won't go anywhere.

It's a con job.

It's a fix.

And the Assyrians get the money.

And they get the gold.

And then they decide we're going to attack anyway.

And Jerusalem suddenly realises we've given away all our money.

We've given away all our gold.

And we're no better off.

We're in trouble.

And they realise we've compromised ourselves.

We've got nothing out of the deal.

And so they realise they've got nothing left but the grace of God.

They've got nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

And so they're left with their tail between their legs.

And they go to God.

And they can't come back to singing.

Oh we will sing of your love forever.

They don't come back like that with their arms in the air.

Because that would be a lie.

It would be hypocritical.

And they come back to God as their great backup plan.

And they come back as the last resort.

And yet God still receives them.

That even if you.

Even if you this morning.

Even if you have been going everywhere else.

In life.

Looking for your security.

And your identity.

And your worth.

And your salvation.

And now you realise.

I'd be running to all those places.

All my life.

And they can't give me what I'm looking for.

And they won't give me what I'm looking for.

And then you come back to God as your last resort.

He says I'll take you.

You realise you can't save yourself.

You can't fix this.

And how gracious a God am I.

So the people of Israel in verse 2.

They plead with God to be gracious.

We're going to stop trying to fix this ourselves.

We can't fix it.

We're going to try trusting in you.

We need you to be our strength.

That's what he means in verse 2.

Be our arm every morning.

On a day to day basis.

We see your might.

And all you need to do.

Verse 2 Lord.

Is to get up out of your chair.

All you need to do.

In verse 3 sorry.

Is when you lift yourself out of your chair.

Lord.

The nations flee.

We need you.

We need you.

Because you are the highly exalted Lord.

You are the one who will establish people.

With justice and righteousness.

Now we know Lord.

That all we have is God.

And God is all we need.

That he is our stability.

He is the one who will be our wisdom.

And our salvation.

And our knowledge.

So they say.

All we need to value.

All we need to treasure.

Is the fear of the Lord.

We're going to stop trusting in other things.

We're going to wait on you.

But from that plea to the Lord.

To be gracious.

There's now a call.

To the listener.

And they're told in this call.

In verses 7 tonight.

Behold their heroes cry in the street.

Their edwards of peace.

Weep bitterly.

The highways lie waste.

The traveller ceases.

Covenants are broken.

Cities are despised.

There is no regard for man.

The land mourns and languishes.

Lebanon is confounded and withers away.

Sharon is like a desert.

Bishan, Karno, shake off their leaves.

To the end of verse 7.

There's a second command.

We're told to stop.

And then we're told to look.

That's what behold means.

Look.

Look at the desolation.

Look at what happens when you don't trust in God.

You've got military leaders on one hand.

You've got diplomatic envoys on the other.

You've got the hawks and the dunks.

So to speak.

But they're on their wits end.

They've seen their best laid plans come to nothing.

They're in absolute ruin.

They see that Judah has become a scorched earth.

A scorched earth.

Under a serious fist.

And it's there we're being told.

Aren't we?

Pay attention.

Because what happens.

When you live life without God.

It brings desolation.

Alan Duboton.

Is a British author and a speaker.

And he gave a TED talk.

Called Atheism 2.0.

It's quite interesting to talk when you watch it.

Because he admits that new atheism.

Which is put forward by people like Richard Dawkins.

And others.

Is actually really unwise in its militancy.

Against religion.

So Duboton proposes a new atheism.

Atheism 2.0.

And as he calls it that.

He wants to recognize the positive aspects of religion.

And seek to learn from them.

Here's what he says.

Atheism 2.0 starts with a very simple premise.

Of course there is no God.

Now let's move on.

That's not the end of the story.

That's the very beginning.

I'm thinking of a constituency of people.

Who say.

I can't believe in any of this.

I can't believe the doctrines.

That they are right.

But I really like Christmas carols.

I really like the art of Matanga.

I really like visiting old churches.

I really like turning the pages of the Old Testament.

These are people who are attracted to the ritualistic side.

The moralistic communal side of religion.

But can't bear the doctrine.

And Duboton goes on to stress.

That atheists need to incorporate ritual.

And community.

Into their atheistic lives.

And everything will be so much more rich.

it gives me when you watch that

there's something isn't there of rearranging the chairs

on the Titanic about that

because he's missing the whole point

and yet it's easy to look at Jabotov

and other atheists

and poke holes in the business

but you know the danger

the danger is that some of us would actually live that way too

even coming to IPC

we never call ourselves atheists

but perhaps there's certain aspects

and areas of our lives where we are functional atheists

we like the hymns

we like even the corporate confessions

we like the ritual

we like coming to the church

we like the community

but we really do it all without any reference

or connection to the living God

Jabotov and others

at least have the intellectual integrity

to say no we don't believe in God

some of us would never say that

but functionally that is where we're at

that we're not really trusting God

that we're not really holding on to him

we're not really submitting to him in our lives

and Isaiah says

the consequence of that belief

is desolation

look where that road leads you

look what's coming down the tracks this morning

a life without God

only brings desolation

do you know that?

do you believe that?

look at the midst of the desolation

as the people of Jerusalem

realise all they have to do

is depend upon the grace of God

and they change him

look what happens in verse 10

now

I will arise

says the Lord

now I will lift myself up

now I will be exalted

that when we admit

our disgrace

that when we admit

our defeat

that when we admit

our brokenness

and our disappointment

with ourselves

with how we've acted

and how we've acted

towards others

that is actually

when God

delights to enter in

he resists the proud

but he can't keep away

from the humble

he's saying

when you sink down

to your lowest point

God is saying

now again somewhere

now I can help you

it's completely counter-cultural

isn't it?

that God's prerequisite

for rising to save us

is our admission

of failure and weakness

God's prerequisite

for raising

himself

is our admission

and humbling of ourselves

and lowering of ourselves

that's not just

how you become a Christian

is it?

that is how you continue

to grow as a Christian

that is the life

of a Christian

that is the life

of a Christian church

what is the besetting sin

of Presbyterianism

if I can talk about that

if you don't know what that is

we can talk about it later

but what is the besetting sin

of that?

it is pride

God has been very kind

to this congregation

God has been very very kind

to us as a denomination

in the last few years

and the danger is

we think we've got it

we've made it

we are the people

we must be thankful

that pride is dangerous

the way of a church

that refuses to become

proud and self-righteous

and that is humble

and repentant

and utterly aware

of its constant need

for grace

that we are fragile

fragile

fragile

fragile

God says

you need to plunge

your failures

into my grace

and then I'll raise you up

now I will rise

so we'll stop trusting

in ourselves

we're to look

and thirdly

in verses 13 to 14

we are to listen

it's very obvious

isn't it

verse 13

here

here you are

far off

like death

and you are near

and acknowledge my might

that sinners in Zion

are afraid

trembling

and seized

the darkness

who among us

can dwell with

the consuming fire

who among us

can dwell with

everlasting burning

now it's the Lord

speaking

and speaking

he says

I want you to listen

and he tells the whole

world to listen

can you see that

verse 13

it's not a parochial

message

it's not just for

Jerusalem

it's not just for

Presbyterians

it's not just for

Christians

it's an appeal

to every person

on this planet

to listen up

and to acknowledge

the power of the Lord

God says

listen

do you see

and hear the effect

of my power

on those who are in Zion

they are shaking

in their boots

because they suddenly

now understand

who they're dealing with

and the one

who they are dealing with

is a consuming fire

and the God of the Bible

is red hot holy

God is a fire

who will burn forever

with consuming intensity

and he says

here is the one

who every single person

must be concerned about

I want all of us

to feel the weight

of this God

this morning

he is a consuming fire

the writer

to the Hebrews

picks up on it

as he instructs us

that we are to

worship God

how are we to

worship God

we are to worship God

acceptably

with reverence

and awe

why are we to

worship God

like that

because he is

the God

of a consuming fire

it's not an

Old Testament God

versus a New Testament

God

that is untrue

this is the God

the Bible presents

from beginning to end

and so the reaction

of the sinners

and the godless

in Isaiah 33

is totally appropriate

they quake in their boots

because they suddenly

understand who God is

this God

who you have come

to worship today

is the same God

that they are fearful of

because they say

who can dwell

with the one

who is a consuming fire

God gives us the answer

in verses 15 and 16

and he says

he who walks righteously

and speaks uprightly

who despises

the gain of oppression

who shakes his hands

lest they hold a bribe

who stops his ears

from hearing of bloodshed

and shuts his eyes

from looking on evil

he will dwell

on the heights

his place of defence

will be a fortress

among the rocks

his bread will be given him

his water will be sure

and not fail him

who can dwell

with the God

who is a consuming fire

that is

who can be

in God's presence

even though

they've got no right

to be in God's presence

God says

it is the one

who does

what is right

in God's eyes

it's the one

who speaks

what is right

in God's ears

it's the one

who acts rightly

to his neighbour

those kind of people

get to dwell

with God

on the heights

those people

can be in the

presence of God

be consumed

and not be consumed

and God says

listen to this

because this

leaves you and I

in a terrible

predicament

in a terrible

situation

and it would

have left

the people of

Jerusalem

in a terrible

situation

because left

to ourselves

we are selfish

beings

like they were

and left

to ourselves

I don't know

about you

but I say

words which

wound and hurt

other people

and left

to ourselves

we treat

each other

very harshly

so the question

is how can I

how can you

how can we

ever dwell

with the

consuming

fire

with the God

who is a

consuming fire

that's the

fire

so God

says stop

look

and listen

but then he

says look

again

verse 17

your eyes

will behold

your eyes

will behold

the king

and his

beauty

they will

see a land

that stretches

far off

your heart

will muse

on the tower

where is

he counted

where is

he weighed

the timber

where is

he counted

the towers

you will

see no more

the insolent

people

the people

of an

obscure

speech

that you

can't

comprehend

stammering

in a tongue

that you

can't

understand

look at

Zion

behold Zion

the city

of our

appointed

feast

your eyes

will see

Jerusalem

an untroubled

habitation

an unmovable

tent

whose stakes

will never

be plucked

up

nor will

any of

its cords

be broken

but there

the lord

in majesty

will be

for us

a place

of bread

rivers

and streams

where no

galley

no warship

with oars

can go

no majestic

ship

can pass

for the lord

is our judge

and the lord

is our law

giver

and the lord

is our king

and he

will save

us

your cords

hand loose

they cannot

hold the

mast

frame

in its

place

or keep

the

sail

spread out

then pray

and spoil

and abundance

will be

divided

even the

lame

will take

the prey

no inhabitant

will say

I am sick

the people

who dwell

there will

be forgiven

their iniquity

what are they

told to look

at

they're told

to look

on the city

of God

on Zion

to look

on the future

Zion

to look

at the future

Jerusalem

the future

world

which will

be completely

peaceful

completely

secure

and it will

be absolutely

protected

from every

enemy

it's another

vision isn't it

from Isaiah

of that world

that's to come

that absolutely

glorious world

that world

that you

and I

yearn for

we say

that is what

we were built

for

the kind

of world

we're seduced

into thinking

that we can

get on by

get to

by running

to the Egypt

of the world

by running

to money

or a certain

relationship

or a certain

job

that will get

me to that

world

but you see

there is a reason

why this sign

is secure

and safe

it's because

as they look

at Zion

they are told

that they see

a person

look at verse 17

they see a king

in his beauty

and the security

of this world

and paradise

all depends

on this king

in fact the mention

of the king

in verse 17

would seem to

indicate

he's the key

to any of us

being able to dwell

in the presence

of the consuming

fire

so the question

is who is this

king he's

talking about

and in verse 22

we're told

the Lord Yahweh

he is the judge

the Lord

given the king

he is the one

who will save us

so we're told

the Lord

who is the king

who is a consuming

fire

is going to

save us

from himself

and how is he

going to do that

well Isaiah

points us

into the direction

of his answer

look at verse 10

now I will rise

says the Lord

now I will

lift myself

up

now I will

be exalted

if you know

the most famous

chapter in Isaiah

it's Isaiah

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

chapter 53

and Isaiah

uses the exact

same language

of verse 10

to speak of a

particular person

in Isaiah 52

Isaiah 52:13

verse 13

it says this

see my servant

will act wisely

he will be raised

and lifted up

and highly exalted

here is Yahweh

here is the Lord

speaking of his servant

his servant

will be raised

and lifted up

and exalted

and the question

is well who is he

well you'll get

there in Isaiah

52

but it is God's

servant

where we're told

he will suffer

it is God's

suffering servant

and amazingly

he's described

in Isaiah 52

in this

suffering servant

who's also a king

the king in all

his beauty

that we look on

in Isaiah 33

and inquiring minds

want to say

how is this servant

king the answer

to our need

how is the king

in all his beauty

going to enable me

to live with this

God who's a

consuming fire

because otherwise

I'm dead

look at verse 24

and no inhabitant

will say I am sick

the people who dwell

there will be

forgiven their

iniquity

the more literal

word there

is born

he will take up

our sins

will be born

ours in the sense

of lifted up

it's the same word

as rest time

and then we find

that word again

in Isaiah 53

the suffering servant

in Isaiah 53

where God says

I will give him

a portion among

the great

and he will divide

the spoils

with the strong

sounds like a king

so he poured out

his life unto death

he was numbered

with transgressions

he bore the sin

of many

he made intercession

for transgressions

it is this servant king

this servant king

who will come

and bear our sins

here is the king

in his beauty

and in his majesty

in holy fire

and as we gaze

upon the king

in his beauty

we see that he has

nail marks

on his hands

and he has nail prints

on his feet

and his side

is pierced

from the sphere

because you see

it is only because

the servant king

poured out his life

unto death

on the cross

that you and I

can now dwell

with the God

who is a consumer

of fire

and the image

of the servant king

now bearing our sin

well we know

don't we

it is rooted

back in the book

of Leviticus

that on the day

of the atonement

of the high priest

among other things

he took into the holy place

two male goats

one goat he would kill

the blood was sprinkled

on the mercy seat

the place of atonement

for our sins

but the priest

would take the live goat

he'd lay his hand

on the goat

he'd confess our sins

over the goat

and then he'd send it away

right into the wilderness

and he carried our guilt

as far as the east

is from the west

as far as it could go

he bore the sins

of his people

and every year

the high priest did that

every year

he repeated that

why?

well because

a goat

can't take our sin

it's pointing you

forward

to the one

who would be

taken away

outside the city wall

to a green hill

far away

without a city wall

because he's been

taken outside

as it were

into the wilderness

he dies in Canaan

and the Lord Jesus

is taken out of the city

to bear our sins

it's significant

it's pointed to the one

on the cross

who'd bear our sin

away as far as

east is from the west

so far as he removed

his transgression

from us

and that is the only way

that you and I

can survive

the consuming fire

it's also the way

that you and I

can dwell

in the consuming fire

if I can put it on that

it's a fire

which won't burn up

but a fire

that gives us life

and so the servant

comes to die for us

as such

that the Zion

of the king

becomes the dwelling

place of his people

the invitation

this morning

is to put all your sins

on the suffering king

so that you and I

this morning

even if we are coming

to him as a last resort

even if you're here

this morning

and you think

I don't know

where to turn

I might as well

go to church

if you're here

as a last resort

God welcomes you

he welcomes you

he welcomes you

to the place

where one day

all of us

will one day say

I am not tired

I am not ill

I won't have a cold

wouldn't it be amazing

if it's verse 24

doesn't that drive you nuts

about London

how are you

busy

how are you feeling

tired

we used to ban that

in our house group

but look at verse 24

and no inhabitant

will say I am sick

you'll never say

I am tired

in the new creation

you'll never say

I am too pretty

whatever your burdens

or sicknesses

in that place

he says to you

you will not say

those words anymore

because our sins

have been borne

by Jesus

the servant king

in the film

the iron lady

it's about Margaret Thatcher

the former power minister

and in the film

Thatcher is asked

by her doctor

how do you feel

she's at the end

of her life

at the end of

how do you feel

here's her reply

people don't think

anymore

they feel

it's very clever

one of the problems

of our age

is that we are

governed by people

who care more

about feelings

than they do

about thoughts

and ideas

the Bible wants

you to feel

does want you to feel

but the Bible

calls you to think

and the danger

for some of us

and the danger

for some of our

friends is we just

go straight to our

feelings

and Isaiah says

I want you to think

Isaiah says

I want you to stop

and I want you to

listen

and I want you to

look

and I want you to

look again

and I want you to

process this

because your eternity

hangs on this

the TED talk

that I cited earlier

TED's strapline

is this

it's ideas worth

thinking about

about watching

about considering

but this is the

ultimate idea

isn't it

this is the idea

that you've got

to have an answer

for

CS Lewis did

and you and I

have to

to think

and to look

and to listen

over and over again

and to realise

that when God

is all that we have

God is all

that we need

when God

is all that we have

God is all

we need

because what we need

is a servant king

and we have him

in the person

of the Lord Jesus

let's pray

God