Isaiah 19

Isaiah 19.

Kirk Paster is an artisanal professor in Australia.

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One day you bring it up with your mother, and without a pause she comments,

Oh, I didn't tell you.

A new family moved here across the road, and I thought it would be nice to be neighborly.

So I took them a casserole, and I gave them grandma's wedding as well.

They looked so pleased.

And Paster, imagine the situation.

You might be rather bewildered by your mother's reckless, scandalous generosity.

You might have an outburst of anger or jealousy.

But the reason Paster gives that illustration here is because in Isaiah 19,

Isaiah is announcing God's plan to give away Israel's wedding ring.

Or at least to melt it down into three rings.

Yes, one for Israel, but apparently and astonishingly one for Egypt and one for Assyria.

And I don't know whether you've noticed it as I've been preaching through these early chapters,

that Isaiah is a book of surprises.

But here is one big surprise that I wasn't expecting.

Here in this chapter you see the reckless, scandalous generosity of God.

You see the reckless, scandalous love of God.

And the reckless, scandalous dreams of God.

All coming from itself.

From itself.

If you were here last week, let me try to really up to speed on where we're at.

I'm going to a new section.

Chapter 30 to 23.

It's really a series of oracles that are delivered to Judah about neighbouring nations.

In some ways it's the street of the nations address.

But what's interesting is that it's addressed to Judah.

Isaiah doesn't go around with all these other nations.

And speak to them.

No, he speaks to Judah about the other nations.

And the reason he does that is because very simply he is saying to Judah,

whatever you do, whatever you do, do not put your trust in these other nations.

Do not trust them.

You need to put your trust in the Lord God Almighty alone.

Because the problem is for Judah, at different points, all these different nations seem to be attractive.

In terms of form and political alliances.

So these nations, they might be the one Israel would think that could protect us against the other nations.

And so we see Isaiah goes through each of these nations and he says,

here's why you don't want to trust them.

Here's why you don't want to trust them.

And the bottom line is God is going to come and judge these people and destroy them.

So that's where we began with Babylon.

And God said that Babylon will be judged and destroyed.

And chapter by chapter he's working through these various nations.

The Philistines, Moab, Damascus, Hush.

All of which, for instance, chapter 19 of this oracle concerning Egypt.

And of all the nations that are mentioned,

Egypt would be the one that invoked memories.

Memories of opposition and persecution of God's people.

It was, of course, Pharaoh and the Egyptians who held Israeli slavery for 400 years.

And who God had delivered the Israelites some 700 years prior.

And Isaiah speaks here of them.

And you would think, wouldn't you, that that memory of what happened in Egypt would still be very strong.

The southern kingdom, they would have said, we've got nothing to do with Egypt.

And yet, what a difference that 700 years has made.

Because now with Babylon, that kind of not yet is the power,

and Assyria is still the mightiest nation on earth,

Judah is looking for something to help them.

They want to get out from under the rule of Assyria and Egypt.

And Egypt comes as a very willing volunteer and says,

if you do what we say, we'll protect you.

And Isaiah says to Judah,

don't even think about it.

And what is somewhat different from this oracle,

than the previous ones,

is what is promised to Egypt after judgment.

Here's what we're going to look into in this chapter.

We'll pick up on the language of verse 22.

Do you see that?

There's two things the Lord will do there.

He will strike and he will heal.

And what is promised to strike Egypt,

but then also heal them.

So first of all, the striking of Egypt.

Look at verse 1.

Behold, the Lord is riding on a swift cloud,

and he comes to Egypt.

And the idols of Egypt will thank God of his presence,

and the heart of the Egyptians will melt with him.

And I will stir up the Egyptians against Egyptians.

And they will fight against each other,

and each against his favour,

sitting against sitting,

kingdom against kingdom.

And the spirit of the Egyptians within them

will be emptied out.

I'll confound their counsel.

They'll inquire of the idols,

of the sorcerers,

the mediums,

the necromancers.

And I will give over the Egyptians

into the hand of a heart of master.

And a fierce king will rule over them,

says the Lord God of hosts.

Isaiah, he gets in all these articles.

He basically begins by saying,

God is almighty.

God's sovereign power.

Do you see what he's riding on in verse 1?

He's riding on a swift cloud,

because he's in such control,

and he's the master of the natural world.

And Israel can do nothing about what God is going to do.

And so it's no wonder he says,

that you and the Egyptians,

as well,

that idols tremble,

and their hearts match.

Well, I'm going to pick apart the whole section,

the first half of Isaiah 19,

but let me give you the basic breakdown

of what Isaiah says will happen to Egypt.

He says there will be a collapse in three areas.

First of all,

there will be a social collapse,

verse 24.

That God's actions are going to bring relationships falling apart.

Frustrations will set in.

Nothing in the nation will go to plan.

The Egyptians will fall into a kind of spiritual mumbo-jumbo.

The country will come under dictatorship.

And the question is,

who has got the power?

Who's got that kind of power

to turn one great nation against another great nation?

And Isaiah says,

the answer is the Lord God of mighty.

But there's not only social collapse,

there's economic collapse.

Look at verses 5 to 10.

Can you see what's mentioned again,

and again,

and again?

Look at verses 6 and 7.

Do you see one word that keeps being mentioned?

It comes up five times.

Four times as a synonym.

The synonym as well.

Isaiah wants you to understand

that there's an economic collapse coming.

And it's symbolised by the dry heaven of the Nile.

That's the word that's used again and again.

The Nile, the Nile, the Nile.

And the river was Egypt's lifeline.

No river, no life.

No river, no life.

Who is it that could and would drive the Nile?

Which means,

Jesus was not just a great river,

but the Nile was a great God in Egypt.

And Isaiah says,

well, there's only one man who can do it.

And that's the Lord God Almighty.

And then thirdly,

there's political collapse.

It's not just a corruption of our country.

It doesn't get distracted.

Then it's in the Lamb of the Thirteen.

The ruling cabinet of Egypt.

Well, there'll be folly there.

That's not the rules to free.

The leaders were enlightened in their claims.

They weren't reading the signs of the times.

And all they were doing is misleading.

So then all in all,

there's a comprehensive picture.

There's a total unraveling of Egypt.

The eternal unity will grow.

The traditional religion.

The political independence.

The water supply.

Agriculture.

Commerce.

Commerce.

Political strategy.

The markets.

Wise teaching.

Everything is unraveling.

And Egypt is unable to do anything about it.

And behind it all,

there's one sovereign Lord

riding on a cloud.

A cloud of judgment.

Judgment on a nation.

Which was really like an enlarged version of people.

Judgment's allowed to be talked about last week, didn't we?

The place where human determination,

where human felt,

humans felt we can meet every need

by self-project.

We've got the wisdom to solve every problem.

We don't need God.

And that pride of Babel

is at the very heart of this people.

And without turning to God,

God struck Babel.

And God will strike Egypt.

And so Isaiah says,

okay to Judah,

what are you going to do?

Are you going to put your trust in Egypt?

You think you're going to place

all your security and your safety

Isaiah says,

don't you dare.

Don't you do it.

The Lord says,

the one to trust is

the Lord who rides on the cross.

Our own rides on the clouds.

The one to trust is

the Lord

who strikes in judgment.

But in verse 16,

there's a great change of gear.

Can you pick that up?

Can you see me, others?

There's a change of writing style, actually.

It moves

from poetry to prose

in verse 16.

And it's a very deliberate contrast

in writing style.

And I think it's there

to make you stop

and think.

It's intended to point you

to a change.

There's a contrast.

And there's a series of five,

isn't there?

In that day.

Can you see that?

There's 16,

18,

19,

23,

24,

in that day.

And it points beyond

the striking of Egypt

to the astounding

healing of Egypt.

It's a shocker.

So verses 16 and 17,

there are a bit of a hinge

where Egypt is portrayed

as women who are fearful

of the Lord.

They're terrified.

But as we read on,

we read on that fear

is a good fear.

Because it's a fear

that has led to repentance.

Look at verse 18.

In that day,

there will be five cities

in the land of Egypt

that will speak the language

of Cagan.

And they'll swear allegiance

to the Lord of hosts.

And one of these

will be called

the city of destruction.

And 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

and his border.

And it will be a sign

and a witness

to the Lord of hosts

in the land of Egypt

where they cry to the Lord

because of oppressors.

He will send them

a saviour

and a defender

and a deliverer.

And the Lord

will make himself known

to the Egyptians.

And the Egyptians

will know the Lord

in that day

and they will worship

and 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 opinions

and mercy on the Lord.

So right away,

there's something

monumental happening.

There's a profound shift

in loyalty and allegiance

that's going to take place

in the future.

And do you notice

what Isaiah pictures?

He says,

you go into Cairo,

you'll put it into cities

and you'll go into the shop

and they will start speaking

Hebrew to you.

Now you talk to refugees

or migrants

who move from their homeland

to a new country.

And they will tell you

that the day they stop

speaking their mother tongue

and they start speaking

and thinking

and dreaming

and speaking naturally

the language of the land

they are living in,

that day is a huge day,

isn't it?

So for many of you,

you're not there yet,

are you?

For many of you,

second language is English.

You're not at that stage

where you think

and you speak

and you dream

and you pray

and your heart language

becomes English.

You're not there yet.

But when it comes up to you,

it will be

the moment of the state

of Cance.

Because what does it say?

It means that

in terms of your identity,

and perhaps in terms

of your allegiance,

they've changed me.

Now these people

here in Isaiah 19,

they've not moved

out of Egypt.

And yet,

they are speaking Hebrew.

And here it is

a representative

of a change of allegiance.

Something is going on

in the inside

that is represented

by a different language.

We've discussed today

and we talk about

totally a change of allegiance

in my life

or your life.

and where you're trying

to follow

after other things.

And you're trying

to find your fulfillment

and your happiness

and then you turn

and you start

worshipping God.

Now it's unlikely

that that's going to

be marked

by a change of language.

We continue to speak

the language we speak.

But what is helpful

in this passage

is there are four markers

which show

that there's a change

of allegiance going on.

And I think

the four markers

are helpful

because they show us

what does a change

of allegiance

look like in our lives.

It's not an exhaustive list.

But there are four things

that Isaiah

is pointing to

and let's use them

as a checklist

and say who might follow it.

So let's look at

the four together.

It's represented

in verse 19

by the altar.

Number one.

There's an altar.

The altar

that the Egyptians

would have put up

this monument.

It was for sale

as a sign

and a witness

to the Lord.

And we are told

that back in Joshua 22

we read about

the tribes of Israel

who settled

on the far side

of the Jordan River.

They built an altar

as a witness

to the fact

that they belonged.

To the fact

that they belonged

to the people

of the Lord

even though

they were separated

from the other tribes

by this body of water.

And the altar

represented a sign

and a witness

that they belonged

to God.

Now we don't build

holders today.

What do we do?

What we do

are signs.

We are signed

aren't we

at the time

of our baptism.

We are signed

in the name

of the Trinity.

You are baptized

into the name

of the Triune God.

What is happening

at baptism?

We are saying

that I

if we are being baptized

all my children

if they are being

baptized

they belong

to the Triune God.

That their

ultimate allegiance

is to the Lord.

And when we

take the bread

and the wine

it is a cup

of our allegiance.

It is not just

a ritual.

That when you

eat that bread

and drink that cup

you are saying

I belong to the Lord.

My allegiance

is ultimately to Him.

And that is

a pretty significant

and serious thing

to say.

Actually

that what He says

goes in my life.

That is a sign

and a witness

to the Lord

that we belong

to Him.

The second

is this

marker of prayer.

Look at verse 20.

It says

Egyptians will

cry out

to the Lord.

They will cry out

to the Lord.

Why?

Because they are now

in a relationship

with the Lord.

And their allegiance

has been marked

by this altar.

They are in a relationship

and it is a speaking

relationship.

But because they now

belong to the Lord

they enter into this

fellowship with Him.

So that now

as dangers come

and problems

need to be solved

they don't do it

just by human

self-confidence.

as the problem

was in the judgment.

And now

by prayer

and crying out

to the Lord

the Lord responds.

And the question

for you and I

is what is our

physical call

when we are in need?

And I suspect

the inclination

is not

to call

on the name

of the Lord.

The temptation

has got a

place to

spiritual orphans

to think that

well

we are alone.

No one can

help us.

We can fix

our problems

ourselves

but that is not

Bible tells us

at all

is it?

That God

through His grace

for us

in Jesus Christ

we are not

orphans.

Well that's just

as well isn't it

because you cannot

fix your problems.

But if you

were called

on the name

of the Lord

you are not

an orphan

you are a son

or a doer

in the living

God

and therefore

He delights

to hear us

cry out to Him.

The first

port of call

for the believer

when there is

a need

is to pray

and say

God I cannot

fix this.

I cannot

fix this

when you step

in and do it.

And God

delights

when we cry

to Him

in helpless

dependence.

Thirdly we see

the mark of

Revelation

verse 21

that God

would reveal

Himself

to His people

and what we

see here

is that God

is always

the initiator

of this

relationship.

That God

reveals Himself

and only

when God

reveals Himself

to the

Egyptians

know the

Lord.

Christianity

is not about

you searching

for God.

It is not

about you

searching for

God but

it is about

you responding

to God's

reveals of truth

because God

has revealed

Himself in the

Bible.

In His

Word.

You don't

have to go

searching for

God because

He says

read this

and you

will find

me.

You will

find out

who I am.

And the

Egyptians

will understand

that.

That revelation

will be given

so that they

would have a

relationship.

So that they

would know

to whom they

are speaking.

And so if

their allegiance

has changed

God's Word

has become

your truth.

You love

the Bible.

He's worried

about who He

is.

What He's

done.

And about

who we are.

The fourth

marker is there

in verse 21

is worship.

The word

that is used

literally there

is to serve.

And it

points to

what our

worship really

is.

Our service

of God

is 24

hours,

seven days

a week.

The Bible

picture of

worship is

not just

what we do

here every

morning from

10.30 to

11.40.

But what we

do in the

rest of our

lives.

As referred

to us,

vows to

the Lord.

But if

your allegiance

has changed,

you now

understand that

your life is

now primarily

about serving

God, not

yourself.

It's not

even serving

your boss

at work.

But life

is about

serving God.

So four

markers.

Four markers

have changed

allegiance.

But what is

additionally

surprising is

actually the

words in

Isaiah 19

form really

like a

Bible

overview.

The second

Old Testament

survey,

Isaiah 19.

Think about

the altars

and the

monuments.

What do

they remind

you of?

They remind

you of the

Israelites in

the book of

Joshua.

And they're

crying out

for deliverance.

What does

that remind

you of?

When did

the Israelites

cry out for

deliverance?

Well it

again reminds

you of the

judges,

doesn't it?

They again

and again

cry out to

God for

deliverance

and God

sent a

judge to

deliverance

and receive

them.

The

don't

sacrifice

and grain

offerings

and vows

reminds you

of what?

Well the

book of

Leviticus.

And so

the thing

is these

early chapters

from the

Old Testament

who was the

main character?

The main

character was

Israel.

But why

Isaiah

was

done in

Isaiah 19

is he

switched

that.

The main

character of

these events

that were

true of

Israel

he says

they are

now true

of

Egypt.

And the

people who

would have

been struck

by God

in judgment

they are

now going

to be

healed

by God.

So the

striking of

Egypt and

the subsequent

healing of

Egypt is

going to lead

to the

conclusion of

this chapter

which would

seem absolutely

impossible.

Look at the

last few

verses.

Verse 23.

In that

day there

will be a

highway from

Egypt to

land to

Syria.

Assyria

will come

into

Egypt and

Egypt into

Assyria and

the Egyptians

will worship

with the

Assyrians.

And in

that day

Israel will

be third

with Egypt

and Assyria.

A blessing

in the midst

of the

earth whom

the Lord

of hosts

has

blessed

the Egypt

my people

and Assyria

the work

of my

hands and

Israel

my inheritance.

And right

here we see

the wedding

ring being

melted down

and made

into three

rings.

It's an

astounding

picture.

And so

thirdly

let's

see the

astounding

scandalous

act of

global

blessing.

You see

Egypt and

Assyria

they weren't

just the

patch of

enemies of

Israel.

They hated

Israel's guts.

They couldn't

stand each

other.

And here we

see that we

look at verse

23.

You see this

day when

they're not

only found

to a point

where they

put up

with each

other but

now they're

in a

delight of

each other

and enjoy

one another.

It's the

peaceful

kingdom all

over again.

It's

Isaiah

11

which is

portrayed by

animals of

a wolf and

a lamb but

now it's

nations.

And in this

kingdom Egypt is

God's people

and Assyria is

handiwork and

Israel is

inheritance.

And the

kingdom is no

longer defined

ethnically or

nationally.

In this

kingdom God's

people are no

longer defined

racially or by

their ethnicity.

city.

But now we

have a spreading

kingdom of

peace.

In verse

18 it's a

few cities.

In verse

19 it's a

whole country.

But at the

end of the

chapter it's

three nations.

And I would

suggest to you

that those

nations represent

all nations.

It's a picture

of God's peace

coming to the

hell of the

world.

Here's the

question.

How can this

be?

How can it

be true?

How can God

melt down the

wedding ring and

give it to

three nations?

In fact to

all nations.

Egyptians.

How can God

come to you

and to me and

say you are

now my people?

You are my

inheritance.

How can he

do that?

You know

don't you?

We may not

be Egyptians

but we have

that same

kind of

attitude.

That's

represented by

pride in

every single

one of our

hearts.

So how can

self-confident

proud Egyptians

or people like

us be treated

now as God's

people?

God.

And in

verse 20

I give

the clue.

He refers to

them crying

out and God

giving a

saviour who

will rescue

them.

But I

think Isaiah

wants to be

more specific.

Look at

verse 22.

And the

Lord will

strike Egypt.

Strike

him and

heath.

Isaiah

speaks of

Egyptians

turning to

the Lord

and repenting

but God

is still a

God of

justice.

It's not

that when

God puts

his forgiveness

hat on

he kind

of forgets

the justice

thing.

God cannot

pretend that

Egypt hasn't

sinned.

God cannot

pretend that

you haven't

sinned.

His heart

longs to

forgive but

our sin

needs to be

punished.

And the

punishment

needs to be

taken by

someone.

So how

can self-confident

proud defiant

people like

the Egyptians

and like me

be treated as

God's people

and the

astounding

answer is

because of

the one

who was

struck as

the one

who was

struck.

That was

his word

and then

healed.

He is

the one

who was

struck so

that you

and I

could be

healed.

Let me

read you

from Isaiah

53.

That's

what he

says.

Surely

he is,

it says

this,

he's

despised

and rejected

by men

amount of

sorrows and

acquainted

with grief.

And

as one

from whom

men

had their

faces,

he was

despised

and we

esteemed

him not

surely he

has borne

our griefs

and carried

our sorrows,

yet we

esteemed him

stricken,

smitten

by God

and afflicted.

And he

uses those

exact same

words.

he was

pierced

for our

transgressions,

he was

crushed for

our

iniquities,

upon him

he was

the

chastised

from the

broadest

peace,

and by

his

wounds

we

are

healed,

same

words,

Isaiah

19.

One

will be

struck so

that some

can be

healed.

Of course,

Isaiah

53 is

talking of

the Lord

Jesus,

isn't it?

Who came

into this

world and

was struck

by God,

and smitten

by him,

and was

afflicted

by him

on the

cross,

struck by

God on

the cross,

so that

Egyptians,

and Assyrians,

and Brits,

and Europeans,

and Africans,

and Asians,

and every

other nation

could be

healed.

Do we

deserve it?

Of course

we don't.

Is he

talking about

everyone in

every nation,

they will be

healed,

they will be

forgiven?

No,

he's talking

about all

those who

put their

faith in

the

suffering

servant.

Who put

their

faith in

the

one who

is

struck,

so that

you

can be

healed.

So that

we can

be adopted

into his

handily and

forgiven,

so that

we can

now be

called his

people,

and his

handily work

and his

inheritance,

so that

everyone who

trusts in

Jesus Christ,

regardless of

ethnicity,

or nationality,

or background,

knows that when

they read the

words of the

apostle in the

New Testament,

that we're

about to

read,

he's talking

about us,

he's talking

about every

believer,

so that Peter

says,

you are a

chosen race.

You are a

royal priesthood,

you are a

holy nation,

a people by

his own

possession,

that you may

proclaim the

excellencies of

him who

called you out

of darkness

into his

marvellous

light.

Once you

were not a

people,

but now you

are a

people.

Once you

have not

received

mercy,

but now

you have

received

mercy.

Isaiah

is a

family

of

Gentiles

foresaw

the day

of

scandalous

global

blessing,

a day

made

possible

by the

striking

of

Jesus

for the

healing

of the

nations,

so that

we as

believers

of Jesus

Christ,

we are

referred to

today as

the chosen

people,

the royal

priesthood,

the holy

nation.

Let me

give you

two

applications,

one that

has got

to do

with

identity,

and one

that has

got to

do

with

relationships.

All

of the

churches,

all of

the early

churches

in the

Mediterranean

world

were

multi-Afric.

All of

them were.

They

consisted

of at

least Jews

and Gentiles,

but many

of them

were Afroans

and Asians

as well.

And just

as we

saw as

Peter

refers to

Christians,

he refers

to us

as a

holy

nation.

Literally,

the

New

Testament

calls us

a

neo-ethnic

for those

who are

in Christ.

That

means that

our

relationships

to each

other in

Christ and

our

relationship

to other

believers in

Christ are

actually to be

stronger than

our relationships

to our

racial or

ethnic or

national group.

That means

if you are

a Christian,

you are

not to

primarily

consider

yourself

as

British,

Irish,

Welsh,

Scottish,

American,

Iranian,

Nigerian.

You are

not primarily

Anglo,

you are not

primarily

black,

you are not

primarily Asian,

you are

citizens of

God's

nation,

and that

is your

primary

identity.

That's a good

question to ask,

God's

to say who

are you,

to ask

yourself who

am I,

is that

where I

would begin?

I belong

to the

new

ethnic,

I'm part of

God's

nation,

it's

challenging

to examine

ourselves.

The implication

of that,

the New

Testament

teases out,

it says that

the only real

division in

the human

race,

there is

only one

real division

in the

human race,

and that

is the

division of

faith.

And so

God

understands,

as God

sees it,

there are

only really

two

nations

there.

There are

two peoples,

there are

those who

trust in

Christ,

and those

who don't

trust in

Christ.

And that

is why,

for example,

God forbids

marriage between

a believer

and an

unbeliever,

between a

Christian and

somebody who

is not a

Christian,

God forbids

that marriage,

because that

is the only

way a

Christian can

marry you

outside your

people.

faith and

unbelief,

they are

the

dividers.

So let

me ask you

this,

if you

would rather

have your

close friend

or family

member marry

someone of

the same

race,

or the

same

nationality,

instead of

a strong

Christian of

a different

race,

well,

your racial

prejudice has

not been

dealt with,

and you've

not understood

the gospel.

Let me ask

you that

again.

If you

would rather

have a

close friend

or family

member marry

someone of

the same

race or

nationality,

instead of

a strong

Christian of

a different

race,

you've

got to

listen to

the gospel.

And that

new identity

of the new

ethnic,

leads us

secondly to

being a

blessing on

the whole

earth.

He says

at the

end,

at the

very end

of the

passage,

he says

in Isaiah

19,

they will

be blessed

by Egypt,

my people,

and Assyria,

the work of

my hands.

I came home

last week,

I saw a

land of

it,

you know,

one of

those kind

of plague

things,

and they're

called

Ireland,

the land

of a

thousand,

the land

of a

hundred

thousand

welcomes.

I'm not

sure my

aim was,

show me

that.

The land

of a

hundred

thousand

welcomes.

That's

good,

isn't it?

But I

want to

say to

you,

the church

should be

the church

of a

hundred

thousand

welcomes.

And that

will cover

a whole

range of

people and

groups.

This is

a quote

from John

Piper.

He's

addressing

our attitude

to Muslims.

Here's what he

says,

maybe even as we

speak,

the population

of the planet

is passing

seven billion.

And of those

seven billion,

well over a

billion are

Muslims.

And as you

know,

tens of

thousands

live in our

neighbourhoods,

and we

are glad

they've

come.

Biblical

Christians do

not have a

parochial

mindset that

wants to

keep non-Christians

out of our

neighbourhoods.

Christians have

a kingdom

mindset that

rejoices when

King Jesus

brings non-Christians

who had once

been far away

near to the

crossfall.

Christians do

not live to

escape non-believers,

we live to

reach non-believers.

Across the

ocean and

across the

street.

Now what

mindset do

you and I

have?

I don't

know what

your

neighbors

alike.

But there

might not

be people

that you

naturally

connect

with.

But you

see, the

gospel keeps

pushing us

out, doesn't

it?

Of a

parochial

mindset to

a kingdom

mindset.

And the

gospel keeps

pushing us

out and

saying, you

know he's

melted down

the rain.

And now

every nation,

and God is

going to call

people from

every nation

to this new

ethnic.

the gospel

reminds us

that God

announced that

Egypt will

be my

people, and

Syria will

be my

handiwork, and

Israel will

be my

inheritance.

And you

and I are

not, we

are not to

live to

escape

non-believers,

we are to

live to reach

out to the

gospel.

The gospel of

the one who

was struck, so

that all nations

could be

healed, that

people of all

nations could be

brought into

one family,

all as a

part of

God's

stentless

act of

blessing.

Let's pray.