›Isaiah 60
›Permanence
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the LORD will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and exult,
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.
7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
they shall come up with acceptance on my altar,
and I will beautify my beautiful house.
8 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their windows?
9 For the coastlands shall hope for me,
the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the LORD your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he has made you beautiful.
(Isaiah 60:1-9, ESV)
10 Foreigners shall build up your walls,
and their kings shall minister to you;
for in my wrath I struck you,
but in my favor I have had mercy on you.
11 Your gates shall be open continually;
day and night they shall not be shut,
that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
with their kings led in procession.
12 For the nation and kingdom
that will not serve you shall perish;
those nations shall be utterly laid waste.
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
the cypress, the plane, and the pine,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary,
and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
14 The sons of those who afflicted you
shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the LORD,
the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one passing through,
I will make you majestic forever,
a joy from age to age.
16 You shall suck the milk of nations;
you shall nurse at the breast of kings;
and you shall know that I, the LORD, am your Savior
and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
(Isaiah 60:10-16, ESV)
17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
and 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.
18 Violence shall no more be heard in your land,
devastation or destruction within your borders;
you shall call your walls Salvation,
and your gates Praise.
19 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.
20 Your sun 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.
21 Your people shall all be righteous;
they shall possess the land forever,
the branch of my planting, the work of my hands,
that I might be glorified.
22 The least one shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the LORD;
in its time I will hasten it.
(Isaiah 60:17-22, ESV)
›Main Point
› Here we find the realities of the redemption of God on His people
› They are bathed in Light
› Those who look upon them in their faithfulness see God Himself and are drawn to Him
› This is still occurring in a dark world, and the blessings will be made manifest in God’s perfect timing
Application Points
› Permanence
– Isaiah declares a message of hope, salvation, of darkness being scattered
– This message is relevant for all ages
– Growing up in the Church of the 90’s and 2000’s I remember this being a buzz word
– How can the Church be more relevant?
– From this came a number of applications
– I remember our new youth leader
– The youth group would be…off the hook
– Despite the incredible amount of energy of our new youth director
– Is the problem not that the Church and others were wrong in trying to be relevant, but that we were trying in the wrong way?
Application Points
› Permanence (2)
– As our youth group deteriorated because the youth themselves never grew in their faith
– There was nothing of true permanence
– My story is not the only one
– We can have all the vision we want
– We can have all the plans we can make
– We can attempt to do all the things we could possibly do
– But in the end it will mean nothing if God is not for it
– It is by seeking a way which is contrary to the will of God that we will find ourselves without permanence
– Isaiah reminds us of this fact…we are in a dark world, we are a people who dwell in darkness
Application Points
› Permanence (3)
– Darkness is nothing
– If we live our lives in darkness we lack Light
– If we do have Light then not only do we know the path, and shine on others
– God is light, and there is no darkness within Him
– What then of relevancy?
– It is by being most faithful to God
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16, ESV
Application Points
› Permanence (4)
– By God’s grace we can be transformed and changed to live according to God
– We can arise, and shine, not because we are so great…but because God has scattered our darkness giving us His Light
– By living in the ways of God, we will shine His light everywhere we go
– Then they will seek, and arrive, to the place where all blessings flow
– Then they will love and cherish and be drawn to…God almighty
– If we should be a people like this, then the question of relevancy ceases
– Our relevancy will be in our obedience and faithfulness to Christ
– This is, then, is how we find permanence
“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
I Peter 1:3-9, ESV
Application Points
› Permanence (5)
– Salvation for our souls
– An inheritance that is undefiled and unfading
– Arise! Your Light has come!
– The glory is revealed!
– Let us arise knowing that He has given us permanence through His salvation!
Application Points
› The Gospel of Christ
– Origins
– Fall
– Redemption
– Glorification
