›Isaiah 65:1-16
›The Heart of the Matter
1 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me;
I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am, here I am,”
to a nation that was not called by my name.
2 I spread out my hands all the day
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices;
3 a people who provoke me
to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens
and making offerings on bricks;
4 who sit in tombs,
and spend the night in secret places;
who eat pig’s flesh,
and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels;
5 who say, “Keep to yourself,
do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.”
These are a smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all the day.
6 Behold, it is written before me:
“I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will indeed repay into their lap
7 both your iniquities and your fathers’ iniquities together,
says the LORD;
because they made offerings on the mountains
and insulted me on the hills,
I will measure into their lap
payment for their former deeds.”
(Isaiah 65:1-7, ESV)
8 Thus says the LORD:
“As the new wine is found in the cluster,
and they say, ‘Do not destroy it,
for there is a blessing in it,’
so I will do for my servants’ sake,
and not destroy them all.
9 I will bring forth offspring from Jacob,
and from Judah possessors of my mountains;
my chosen shall possess it,
and my servants shall dwell there.
10 Sharon shall become a pasture for flocks,
and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
for my people who have sought me.
11 But you who forsake the LORD,
who forget my holy mountain,
who set a table for Fortune
and fill cups of mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you to the sword,
and all of you shall bow down to the slaughter,
because, when I called, you did not answer;
when I spoke, you did not listen,
but you did what was evil in my eyes
and chose what I did not delight in.”
13 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
“Behold, my servants shall eat,
but you shall be hungry;
behold, my servants shall drink,
but you shall be thirsty;
behold, my servants shall rejoice,
but you shall be put to shame;
14 behold, my servants shall sing for gladness of heart,
but you shall cry out for pain of heart
and shall wail for breaking of spirit.
15 You shall leave your name to my chosen for a curse,
and the Lord GOD will put you to death,
but his servants he will call by another name,
16 so that he who blesses himself in the land
shall bless himself by the God of truth,
and he who takes an oath in the land
shall swear by the God of truth;
because the former troubles are forgotten
and are hidden from my eyes.
(Isaiah 65:8-16, ESV)
›Main Point
› These verses challenge the idea presented in the previous chapter
› They lamented God not being with them
› God, however, has always made Himself known
› Humanity has continued to reject God
› Despite the many who reject God, those who turn toward Him will find salvation
› Those who seek and follow their own ways will find judgment, darkness, and death
› Those who seek and follow God will find all they could possibly desire, God Himself
Application Points
›The Heart of the Matter
– Isaiah speaks to a world we are a familiar with
– God is the same God
– We humans are no different than our predecessors
– We have been placed in our place and time with the expectation to turn toward God and trust Him
– Unfortunately, we fail at this
– The first half of today’s text deals with this reality
– The majority follow their own way
– As a whole humanity has failed to do what is necessary, trust in God
– Whereas everything from the smallest atom to the largest star obeys God’s commands, humanity ignores the beckoning call of God
Application Points
›The Heart of the Matter (2)
– “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1)
– This is the purpose of the created order, to praise God
– When we reject God it says to Him, “I am the holy one, you are the unholy” and “I am better than you, and your ways.”
– So we turn from what we ought to do
– We are just as guilty as the pagans who worship sticks and stones
– Like them we worship how we want believing that is what God wants
– Does He want us to invent our own forms of worship?
– Does He want us to reinvent the fire?
– No, He has established what He desires of us
Application Points
›The Heart of the Matter (3)
– Imagine Isaiah speaking to the Church today in America
– What if he told us our meetings on Sunday is like meeting in the tomb?
– We might respond, “why?” or “What is the reason for this?”
– His response would be that far too many of us are relying on the meetings, on the fellowship, trying to cull God’s favor
– He would warn us because it looks similar to his own day when they would sacrifice not because they loved God, but because they wanted something from God
– He would say, “Things have not changed.”
– Just as there is nothing wrong with the form of worship, there is something wrong with the heart
– Do we meet because God is worthy? Or do we think by doing it we can get something from God?
Application Points
›The Heart of the Matter (4)
– If we fellowship, do we do it because we know God is honored in all these ways?
– Or do we do it because we think if we fellowship then we’ve done something which now God owes us for?
– One is true religion and worship
– One is false religion and pagan worship
– We can worship and fellowship for show
– If it is for ourselves alone, then He knows
– If it is for Him, He knows
– Unfortunately there are many who are more pagan than not, but thanks be to God for those within the cluster who are faithful
– Who believe the blessing is God Himself
Application Points
›The Heart of the Matter (5)
– They know that they have received the greatest of blessings
– God Himself who has created all these things and who has given all these things as a gift is the One they seek
– Their hearts are changed by God
– Their worship is new and purposeful, for it is their very lives which are the vessels of worship to their Creator
– They seek Him in all His ways
– They will receive all the promises God gives
Application Points
›The Heart of the Matter (6)
– The dichotomy of the heart is set before us
– What is our substance in the cluster?
– Are we good grapes or bad?
– The only way to know is to examine yourself against the Scriptures
– To ask honest questions
– Am I worshipping the one true God, or am I truly worshipping the false gods of this world?
– These are hard questions because they come to the very essence of our motivations and purposes
– But they must be asked
– Because as Isaiah describes above, God is the God of truth
– And the truth will reveal the heart of the matter
Application Points
› The Gospel of Christ
– Origins
– Fall
– Redemption
– Glorification