The text this morning is from the prophet Isaiah, the second chapter:
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.Thus far the text.
My dear friends in Christ,
There is something about mountains in the Bible. Every time a mountain shows up, something big is going to happen. Abraham is to sacrifice Isaac on a mountain. Moses sees the burning bush on the mountain. God speaks to the Israelites from a mountain. Jesus is transfigured on a mountain. Jesus is crucified on a mountain. Jesus ascends from a mountain. Every time there’s a mountain, God is about to something big. It’s true. You really could say that there is a mountain theology in the Scriptures.
Here in Isaiah, the mountain theme comes in strong. It’s the mountain of the house of the Lord. This is the mountain upon which the Temple is built. This is the mountain on which descends Jerusalem in the last day. This is the mountain to which the whole earth will stream. And it’s interesting. On the last day, when God remakes the heavens and the earth, He transforms this mountain in Jerusalem, Mount Zion. He makes it higher than any mountain that exists. Now, whether this is true or figurative, we don’t know. I’m inclined to take Isaiah at his word and believe that Mount Zion is lifted up above the earth.
This is the place where God’s city has come to rest. This is the place from which God in Jesus Christ will rule forever. This is the mountain upon which safety and security flow over the face of the whole earth. This mountain will stand as a testament to the security we all will find in God forever. In the days of Noah, when the flood waters covered over the whole earth, the water reached up even higher than all the mountains, but Mount Zion can never be overtaken. It is higher than anything we’ve ever seen, and when we look upon it, we will realize that there is no more fear.
The height of the mountain testifies to the judgment of God being done with. There is no more judgment over sin, there is no more need for God to take His vengeance out upon sin. The mountain is the place to which all the nations will stream, in which all peoples will dwell secure. And why? Because God Himself in Jesus Christ is there. From Him, we learn all His ways and we will walk in His paths. From that mountain upon which the Lord Jesus sits, we all shall learn the Law of God in all of its fullness and we will obey.
Now, Isaiah also talks of Jesus settling disputes between people in that day. I confess that I have a hard time thinking about having disputes in the new creation, but I do wonder if there will be such things. Just because two people disagree does not mean there is sin between them. Perhaps one person thinks it best to plant apple trees and another fig trees. There need be no sin there, but deference to the other. If they can’t find an agreed upon method, perhaps they then take it to their Lord who tells what they are to do. There is no need for anger or vengeance. There is no need for battle, whether between people or nations or even in their own hearts. They will beat their swords to agricultural tools. They have no desire to go to war. That will all be over. All that will be left is to walk in the light of Christ, the light which casts away darkness and leads to the joy of all mankind.
Think about it: even if there are disagreements, there is no sin. There is looking out for the needs of the neighbor, there is taking care of their possessions and helping them improve them, there is nothing but the desire to do what is right. That’s hard for us to imagine today, as any time we have a disagreement, sin is lurking right around the corner to overtake us. Yet, this is the promise God gave the prophet, that we might hope in that coming day.
Now, when it is, we don’t know. We know He is coming soon. We know that we will be removed from this world swiftly, and that we should be on guard for that day. We should be working to remove the sin that we face in our lives even now, so that we are prepared for when Jesus returns. We should be like the man who stays awake to beat away the robber who would come into his home and steal all that he has; we should stay awake to beat away sin who would come in and steal all that we have right now. We should be practicing, if you will, for the day when we walk across the face of this world to the mountain of the Lord. And what a day that will be.
I wish I could fully see that day even now, but my eyes are darkened by the hardships of this life. All my thoughts, words, and deeds are tainted by sin and desire. I can’t remove myself from them in this life, and there are times when I feel totally lost. But, the promise that God brings to us through Isaiah this day should give us hope. It shows us that something greater is coming. It shows us that when, upon the mountain of the Lord, we will find His light, all things will be made well.
The thirst for war, the thirst for battle, the thirst for sin will be taken over for the thirst for righteousness. It is true that, when Jesus returns, He will raise all of us from our graves and bring us into His righteousness forever, never to sin or face the consequences of sin ever again, but, living in that remade earth, we shall desire to grow ever more like Jesus, to follow in all of His ways. This doesn’t mean we become more perfect, since you can’t improve on perfection. But, it’s like when you get married: the days that pass don’t mean that you’re more married than you were the day before. You can’t change that status. It does mean that you grow ever closer to your spouse, learning more of them, seeing more how you may serve them. That’s what it is to be the bride of Christ, the Church. We grow ever closer to Jesus, learning more of Him, seeing more how we may serve Him, deepening every day in our love for the God who took on our flesh, to bear our sin and be our Savior.
It’s hard to hold on to this vision, this hope, this promise. We see how poorly this world is doing compared to the trust God put on us to live here. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Yet, the promise that we have in the Lord who dwells upon the mountain should deliver to us a glimmer of hope. Just as Jesus was born in the plains of Bethlehem, and through His life, climbed the mountain of Jerusalem to take His throne upon the cross, so do we climb the mountain to sit under His rule and reign.
Beginning from Jesus’ humble birth in a manger, we see Him rule in glory, even as He is bloodied and mocked upon the cross, even unto His own death. And from our sin and despair, He draws us to His cross upon the mountain, that we might learn from Him, learn His Law, do His business, and be forever secure in His righteousness. From His cross, He has declared all to be holy, even His own bride. His sacrifice made us clean, washing our sins from us. He drew us out of the muck of sin, onto the safety of His mountain, and into His marvelous light. And He will continue to do so, until the darkness of sin is no more, and all that exists is the light of the Lord. There we will dwell secure on His mountain forever, together as His people, as His Church, never to face the wrath of God again, for we sit at the feet of Jesus, who took the punishment we deserve, that we may do exactly that: sit, learn, walk, and do His Law forever. In Jesus' name, amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment