This morning, we are concluding our Advent series based on the
ancient o antiphon prayers, which form the verses to the
hymn. We sang earlier, O come O come
Emmanuel in the verse we sang right at the beginning of this
service we sang and prayed for people from every nation to come
to Jesus Christ as their only Savior and as their true king
and we can sing that and we can pray that with confidence
because Cuz that promise is spread throughout the whole
Bible. From Genesis to Revelation the
promise that the Covenant promise that Redemption is not
only for one man or one family or one nation, but for people
from every tribe and tongue and nation and Isaiah 60, which is
the passage, we're going to focus on this morning, Isaiah
60, lays this out, in incredibly powerful and Beautiful language.
And so, it's a privilege to open this passage together for a few
minutes this morning. So if you will, please take your
bullets in and your Bible and stand together for the reading
of God's word. From Isaiah 60.
I'll read just the beginning portion of Isaiah 60 and then
also a passage that describes its fulfillment in the end in
Revelation 21. Arise Shine for your light has
come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you for behold
Darkness shall cover the Earth and thick Darkness.
The people's. But the Lord will arise upon
you, and His glory will be seen upon you and Nations shall come
to your light and Kings to the brightness of your Rising, lift
up, your eyes all around and see, they gather together.
They come to you, your son's shall Come from afar and your
daughters shall be carried on the hip.
Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill
and exalt because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to
you, the wealth of the Nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover, you and young camels of
Midian and ephah all those from Sheba shall come and they shall
bring gold and frankincense and shall bring good news.
The Praises of the Lord. From Revelation 21.
Speaking of this new city, this New Jerusalem The city has no
need of sun or moon to shine on it for the glory of God gives
its light. And its lamp is the Lamb by its
light. The Nations will walk in the
kings of the earth will bring their Glory into it and it's
Gates will never be shut by day and there will be no night
there. They will bring into it.
The glory and honor of the nation's but nothing unclean
will ever enter it nor anyone who does what is detestable or
false but But only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of
Life. This is the word of the Lord may
be seated. let's pray together father we ask that as we come to
this your word that that you would illuminate that you would
help us to see and understand and believe the promise of the
Gospel, the promise of all Redemptive history explained and
portrayed here by Isaiah and John Father, we pray that you
would fix our eyes on Jesus. The one who is our light?
It's in his name, we pray. Amen.
This morning, we have more kids in the sanctuary, probably than
usual because we don't have our usual programming for preschool
and elementary, and middle school and high school.
So, kids this morning as we start, I want to ask you a
question. You belong here, you are
worshipers here. So I want to ask you a question.
What is the most popular sport in the world?
All right. Well done.
The World Cup.
Probably helped you a little bit with that if you think of what
you usually play in the playground.
If you think about what's on TV, like continuously all weekend
this weekend, you might be tempted to think that football
is the most popular sport, but it is your right soccer.
Soccer is the most popular sport around the world.
The World Cup certainly emphasized that far more than
the Super Bowl or even the Olympics, the World Cup is the
sporting event that unites the Nations and unites people around
the globe to watch it and cheer in it.
The population of the planet in mid-november reached eight
billion people. It's estimated that between late
November and the championship final match, on December 18th,
that more than half of the world's population.
Watched some portion of the World Cup staggering.
It's absolutely staggering. But but think about that for a
moment. Consider a few things that Yes,
it's a unifying event, but think of some Dynamics number one,
only 32 nations were represented in those matches, only 32 of
more than 200 Nations. Number two, the nature of the
vent really isn't Unity its superiority, you want to win?
You want to make it to the end and be crowned, the champion,
and of course only one nation really went home Happy.
Argentina. Only that team only their fans
really went home, truly fully rejoicing and happy.
But what if I told you that there's another event happening
now, Involving every single nation that really will bring
perfect unity and perfect permanent.
Joy to every single participant, I'd be pretty cool. now, what if
I told you that the event has already started, And you are in
it, you're a participant in it, what I'm talking about is the
coming of Jesus Christ. His first coming, his second
coming. It is that thing which touches
every single nation and every single person in an Isaiah 60,
these comings of Jesus Christ, his first and second coming are
described poetically, with the imagery of light.
That's the metaphor used throughout the Bible for
Redemption. So often you think of the light
that Shone down over, Noah and his family, casting the colors
of a rainbow, you think of the light that Moses Encountered in
a burning bush or that led the people of Israel crossed the Red
Sea and through the Wilderness. You think of the light that John
said of Jesus, that he was the light of men, you think of what
we just read in Revelation at the new city.
This new, Heavenly Jerusalem is illumined by the glory of God in
the lamb Jesus Christ. and In this passage the prophet Isaiah
casts, an awe-inspiring vision for how Jesus Christ is a light
not only for His Covenant People Israel, but for all nations.
How Jesus is the light for all nations?
To be saved to bring glory to God, and to be healed to be
saved to bring glory to God, and to be healed, and encourage you
to open your Bible. Pastor our senior pastor, Mark
Davis has been encouraging us to bring our Bibles, that is a good
habit, to be in and renew as we enter a new year.
So encourage you to take out your Bible or use the Pew, Bible
in front of you. If you're open to the middle of
your Bible, you probably. Get to Psalms.
If you go a little bit to the right of middle you probably get
to Isaiah. And so if you're using a beaut,
bloop you Bible turn to page six nineteen and you'll find Isaiah
60. We're going to look at the
verses we read but also some additional verses this morning
but in these opening verses these first three verses are.
So we see Isaiah's promise that in the light of Jesus Christ,
All Nations. There's a offering of all
Nations to be saved. Look down with me at verse 3, in
particular, Isaiah writes, and Nations shall come to your light
and Kings to the brightness of your Rising.
He affirms that. That Redemption is coming to
God's people Israel. But also to those surrounding
God's people to the nation's. And this is a huge biblical
theme that the promise of redemption grows from a person
to a family to a community to a nation to All Nations.
If you flip back in your Bible to Genesis chapter 12, we read
that the Covenant promises made to Abraham and embedded in them
is a promise for the nation's. Genesis 12, verses 1 through 3,
Moses writes. Now, the Lord said to Abram go
from your country and your Kindred and your father's house
to the land that I will show you.
And I will make of you a great nation and I will bless you and
make your name great. So that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you.
And Him who dishonors you? I will curse and in you all the
families of the Earth shall be blessed.
God promises Abram, family, and a land, and a blessing to the
nation's to all the families of the earth.
And of course it's in Jesus. That all of those promises, all
of those Covenant promises are fulfilled and so Jesus comes and
he says, I am the light of the world in John chapter 8.
Eight. I am the light of the world or
as we read in Revelation chapter 21 of this new city, this
heavenly Jerusalem. This picture of the new Heaven
and new earth that God will Usher into our reality on the
last day. We read that the city has no
need of sun or moon to shine on it.
For the glory of God gives it's light and it's lamp is the lamb.
And by its light the Nations We'll walk John tells us that
the new heavens and the new Earth will be continuously.
And exclusively illuminated by the glory of the Lamb of God.
If you read the book of Revelation, you'll notice that
the most common title for Jesus, in The Book of Revelation is not
Jesus Christ or Son of God, or son of, man, or savior or
Redeemer. The most common title for Jesus,
in The Book of Revelation is the Lamb.
And it's a reminder to us that our faith and our savior that
our faith rests on a savior who was crucified a lamb of God, who
was slain for us, a spotless, pure Lamb of God.
Our savior is one who not only taught or performed Miracles,
but our faith is fixed on a savior who was born and
crucified and died and buried and raised again.
We worship every Sunday in that grand context of redemption of
Covenant promises made to Abraham and Covenant promises
fulfilled to Jesus end the focus of our worship being on Jesus
Christ, the Lamb of God we're surrounded by that story every
week and you might not notice it.
The stories told in the windows above you beginning from Genesis
through the Old Testament. The gospel is on these rear
windows all the way to revelation.
Yeah. And multiple places at least
three places in this Sanctuary. There is that symbol of the Lamb
of God? Jesus Christ, the resurrection
Lambs symbol that's been used. You see it in these two lower
Windows here, the Lamb with the resurrection flag over his
shoulder. It's a reminder to us that our
faith as God's people is fixed on Jesus Christ, and him
crucified. His glory, his brightness, the
light he brings comes through his suffering.
Through his death, through his resurrection.
And by the truth of his word and by the power of His spirit and
by the means of his church that good news of Jesus Christ.
The crucified risen Lamb of God is going to every tribe and
every tongue and every nation. How do we know it?
Yes. God promised it.
But how do we know that is actually coming true?
Well, you can serve a church history. you can look at piles
upon piles of data of how the nations are being reached Even
in our own age, but perhaps most compiling Lee, and clearly of
all Think of this proof. We're here.
We are the nation's. We are the Nations gathered
here. The gospel went out from
Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the Earth
even crazy plate. Strange places like Dallas,
Texas. And two people like us.
Foreigners Outsiders historically, an ethnically
speaking to the promises originally made to God's people.
We are evidence that these things are true, and they're
continuing to come true, and we have the opportunity then from
from our own lives and our own homes and families and church,
to extend the gospel to the nation's surrounding us.
Both in other places. Has and even in our own City.
And so I would just Echo, Sam's words about the city at missions
Expo next week. Come, see how we are seeking to
engage the nation's, even here in our city even here in our
church. The promise of Salvation goes to
all the nations and it's important to make a distinction
that the promise is, not that every single person will be
saved at its that's universalism.
We the Bible does not teach that but rather that there are people
from every civilization from every tribe from every nation
who are being saved, as they placed their faith in Jesus
Christ. The Lamb of God, it's a
beautiful promise that this light this brightness has come,
it's come in. Christ's first coming.
It's expanding now and Shining brighter through the ministry of
the church and the word and the spirit it will come in its
fullness at Christ's second coming.
And so we see in this passage, Jesus Christ, the light bringing
salvation to All Nations. But s we also see all nations
bringing glory to God. All nations bringing glory to
God, as they come to Faith in Jesus Christ, let me read.
Look back down again and Isaiah. T.
And look at verse 6, we read this just a moment ago.
It says a multitude of camels shall cover you the young camels
of Midian and ephah and those from Sheba shall come and they
shall bring gold and frankincense and shall bring
good news. The Praises of the Lord, as
people from All Nations calm. They also bring with them, the
talents, the resources, the gifts that God has entrusted to
them and redeemed, for his glory, in the story of the birth
of Jesus. Christ.
And the thing we talked about in point to in Epiphany, is the
story of that being fulfilled in the wise men coming from the
East and bringing gold and frankincense.
It evens mentions those things right there in Isaiah 6, the
wise men and their gifts were a partial fulfillment of that
prophecy, but it also says that they bring other things, these
nations bring other things like camels.
Later on in verse 7, flocks of rams. later in verse 9, they
bring ships, says the ships of tarshish shall come And there's
also other precious wealth, silver and gold.
So why are the nation's bringing these things these resources to
the lord? Well, these are ways in which
the nations are bringing tribute laying at the feet of Jesus
Christ, those things which God gifted them with and trusted
them with and with all that they are and all that they have, they
are coming into the service into the worship.
Chip of Jesus Christ to praise him.
As verse 7 says, in verse 13, says, specifically to beautify
his worship and to beautify his house, there's Geographic
significance to this picture of Nations coming with their
wealth. The geographic significance is
that that Isaiah mentions Nations coming from all
directions, Midian from the south FIFA from the East keytar
and naboth from the north tarshish.
From the West just as the Book of Revelation sent out the
message of the Gospel to seven churches.
This promised here is a promise of people coming from all
directions, back to Jesus Christ, and to the worship of
God in the new Heaven and the new Earth, he flip again to
Revelation 21 where we read earlier, verse 24, speaks of the
kings of the earth. Bringing their Lori and then in
verse 26 it says that they will bring into it.
The glory and honor of the nation's the glory and honor of
the nation's kids, you probably remember that scene in the movie
Aladdin when Prince Ali comes into the city Prince, Ali
Worthy, is he Ali Ababwa and he comes with all these possessions
and animals and wealth in tribute.
To the King as a comical exaggerated version of of that
historic practice. Its ultimate fulfillment, though
is in how people from every tribe and tongue and Nation are
bringing their tribute to the feet of Jesus Christ.
And of course, the focus here in this passage is not the
possessions themselves. It's not the gold, it's not the
frankincense, it's not the flocks, it's the hearts and the
lives of the people. Coming into the presence of God,
being transformed, to be worshippers Eternal, worshippers
of the lamb in the new Heaven and the new Earth as we enter a
new year, think of how your heart needs that.
Orientation that your worship, your passion, your desires to be
fixed on Jesus Christ. And with all that you have, and
with all that you are pouring into the worship and work of
Jesus Christ, the King. That will be your activity in
all eternity. How wonderful to start now, it
is good. It's commanded.
And it's a joy. And so God's light goes out in
Jesus Christ. Not only to save people from All
Nations and for all nations to bring their glory to God.
But then finally we see in this passage at the end of Isaiah 60
and the very beginning of revelation, 22 the promise that
in Jesus Christ. There is light for all nations
to be healed for all nations to be healed.
There's not only salvation and and worship and Glory, but
there's healing for the people who come.
If you look down and Isaiah 60 beginning in verse 17, notice
you see a repeated phrase. There's a there's these phrases
that emphasize the great reversals of Fortune the great
reversals of Providence for God's people. once having
suffered once having endured long oppression, hope and
healing comes in verse 17. The repeated phrase is instead
of Isaiah writes instead of bronze, I will bring gold
instead of iron. I will bring silver instead of
wood bronze. Instead of Stones iron, I will
make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness.
It's this picture of blessing and healing coming to God's
people, once poor and Scattered and oppressed and then it goes
on in verses 18 through 20 with the repeated phrase, no more
three. Times.
Isaiah says no more. He says violence shall no more
be heard in your land Devastation or destruction
within your borders. You shall call your walls
salvation, your Gates, praise the sun shall be no more your
light by day, nor for brightness, shall the moon, give
you light, but the Lord will be your Everlasting Light and your
God Will Be Your Glory. Your son shall no more go down
nor your moon, withdraw itself for the Lord, will be your
Everlasting Light and your days of mourning shall be ended.
That phrase is so powerful. The Lord will be your
Everlasting Light and your days of mourning shall be ended.
Listen to how John describes it in Revelation, chapter 22 in the
first few verses. This is Page 1041.
If you're still following along, in that Pew, Bible says then the
angel showed me the river of the Water of Life bright, as Crystal
flowing from the Throne of God and of the Lamb, through the
middle of the street of the city.
Also on either side of the river the Tree of Life.
With its 12 kinds of fruit yielding, its fruit.
Each month, the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nation's. That's the picture that so
soothe and Comforts us as God's people that there is a day
coming with no more sin with no more sorrow with no more pain
with No More Tears. That we will be in the presence
of God. At the Tree of Life.
Once guarded by angels, to prevent us from accessing, it
will be opened to us as God's people.
For our healing. In her commentary, her new
commentary on the Book of Revelation.
Nancy Guthrie, writes this tying together.
This the story of the Tree of Life from the garden to the New
Jerusalem, she writes in the beginning, God planted a garden.
The tree of life was in the midst of the garden because of
their Disobedience. Adam and Eve were banished from
the garden and God placed the cherubim and a flaming sword
that turned every way to guard the tree of life.
So God sent his son, a second. Adam who also faced Temptation
regarding a tree, the tree of Calvary, but to make it possible
for his people to enter into the presence of God.
Jesus came under the Flaming sword on the cross.
Jesus was pierced by The Flaming sword of judgment Jesus entered
into death, so that we might enter into this greater Garden
that John saw in his vision again.
Again, and again, the promises of the Gospel, the promise of
Salvation, the promise of beautiful, true worship, the
promise of healing from All Things, sad from All Things,
discouraging from All Things leading to death.
All of that will be healed. And only because of the
suffering and death of our faithful Lamb of God.
Jesus Christ. Kids, some of, you know, this
book, The Jesus story book Bible, there's a great line at
the end of the book. Where the author writes look,
God. And his children are together
again. No more running away.
Or hiding no more crying or being lonely or afraid, no more
being sick or dying because all those things are gone.
Yes, they're gone forever. Everything sad has come untrue.
That's the promise for us as God's people and we are called
and equipped in this age to not keep it to ourselves.
But that in every conversation in every responsibility that we
have in this new year in every moment where the holy spirit
opens that door, we are Faithfully to speak of and
reflect the light of Jesus Christ.
You may know that in this past year NASA redoubled its efforts
to return to the moon and it said that by 2025 or in the year
2025 NASA and SpaceX will combine efforts to return
American astronauts to the moon. It's fascinating stuff.
But it's important as you think of the Moon in these coming
years think of this. There's a beautiful quote that
reminds us of our place in this age pointing people to Jesus
Christ. One author.
Michael Horton says the church is never the Sun, but always the
moon never creating but only reflecting the light of the
world. In other words, if we long to
see the nation's come we better, not point to ourselves.
We better not point to our institutions and our
accomplishments we as the people of God are continually pointing
to the Sun to Jesus Christ. And as we do, so, simply
reflecting him as the light of the world.
That is God's Plan of Redemption.
That is God's plan for the Nations to come that our eyes,
and our mouths, and our hearts, and our lives will be fixed on
Jesus. Christ, may it be.
So for all of us in this new year, Heavenly Father, we thank
you for the promises of your word.
We ask that we as a church. Would be re-inspired, Andre
motivated and reinvigorated by the reality that you are calling
People Like Us from every tribe and tongue and Nation to your
son, Jesus. May you show us in this new year
ways? We can pray and labor and work
for your gospel to go forth to all people.
To our neighbors in our city and to those around the world.
Father, use us in the few days. You've given us use us to point.
All we meet to Jesus to his light to his salvation and to
the healing that alone is found in him.
We pray in Jesus name, amen.