It should comfort us to know that God will deal with evil and injustice in the world. The wrath of God is not something we should avoid talking about, yet too often we do because it is unpopular and uncomfortable.

What we are discovering together as a congregation is that a faithful walk through the books of the Bible does not allow us to skip over difficult topics. Once again, we are brought face to face with the subject of God’s wrath in Isaiah 9 and the opening verses of chapter 10. This Sunday’s text is essentially a four-stanza poem with a haunting refrain:

“For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.”

This past Lord’s Day, we considered how the reasons for God’s outstretched hand toward Israel remain relevant for us today, and we saw from Scripture how we can escape God’s wrath and receive His free gift of grace in Jesus Christ.

Two weeks ago, the season of darkness began. Every year, from the time we fall back on the clocks until the winter equinox, the darkness keeps encroaching earlier and earlier. I’ve mentioned it a number of times before, but adapting to the fact that it got dark so early was one of the biggest adjustments we had to make when moving here from Florida. I think it was the getting dark before 5pm that was just mind-bending for me. You could go to work and it still be dark and leave work and it would be dark. The darkness and gloom is overwhelming.

So it was for Isaiah’s contemporaries, except far worse. For their darkness and gloom was one of God’s judgment and of exile. For their failure to trust him, and their superstitious trust in idols and foreign kings, God had rendered certain a judgment of darkness, distress and anguish.

This held true all the way until the time of Jesus. The season of darkness didn’t just last for a few months. It lasted for over seven centuries. But it is against the darkest hours of history that the brightest promises of the Messiah are foretold. Like at the creation, when darkness, chaos and gloom were the thickest, God says, “Let there be light” into the darkest hours of Israel’s history.

This past Lord’s Day as we considered how Jesus fulfilled this familiar prophecy and reflected on the gift of a child who will sit on David’s throne forever.

What’s the first thing you do when you build a house? Do you choose a floorplan? Or, maybe you identify aesthetic architectural components first? Do you design your dream kitchen and then lay outeverything else around the kitchen? Or maybe a big garage is a high priority for you and your family? All of these details are important. However, I’d argue, the first task that needs to be accomplished, of utmost importance, is determining on what ground the house shall be built upon. Your “dream house” won’t be a home worth living in if you forgo this paramount first step and build it on a sand pit.

In Isaiah 7, we are going to explore this exact topic. King Ahaz of Judah has been beaten down by his enemies, and remains encircled by them. The existence of his kingdom, and his very life, are at stake. Isaiah, sent by God in chapter 6, speaks to Ahaz, and places before Ahaz a clear command from his Creator: stand firm in faith, or you won’t stand at all. What will Ahaz do? When you and I are encircled by the enemy, and the pressures to seek immediate relief, from anywhere, are overwhelming…what ought we to do? We’ll answer this question this upcoming Lord’s Day. Please join us, and Lord willing, I pray all our souls will be instructed, renewed, and comforted by God’s glorious Word!

“I saw the Lord.” These words set off the amazing account of Isaiah’s transformative encounter with God and his call into service. What did Isaiah see and how did it transform him? What can we learn from Isaiah’s experience? What does it really mean to see God and how does that shape our vision of ourselves and our purpose?

Who doesn’t appreciate a good love song? In Isaiah 2, we have the opportunity to hear an ancient love song. It might not sound like the kind of love song we’re used to today, but it’s a love song about the greatest love ever experienced.

We might think of this as a 3-verse song:

A. Verse 1 = Who could love us more?

B. Verse 2 = What more was there to do?

C. Verse 3 = What will happen?

And then, Isaiah gives us a sequel to this love song at the end of this chapter as he addresses question, "What will be the ongoing result?"

Spoiler alert - the love song is ultimately about Jesus. Who responds in grace to sinners except One who loves us with an everlasting love? It doesn’t matter how great your sin today, God’s grace is greater! By faith in Jesus and what He’s done, you’ll be forgiven and restored to a right relationship with God. This is the ultimate message both of Scripture and of Isaiah’s love song from a vineyard.

A Note from Pastor Mark:

It makes me think of this Sunday’s message in Isaiah as well, for in chapters 3-4 we see a similar theme to what we saw last Sunday in chapter 2. Actually, though, that shouldn’t surprise us. I said last Sunday that chapters 2-4 formed one literary unit and we’d look at chapter 2 last week and chapters 3-4 this coming week. So, we are dealing with the same basic material.

But as the old saying goes, “Repetition is good for the soul.” I looked that phrase up in a google search, and Google AI said, “Repetition is good for the soul as it reinforces truths, builds spiritual disciplines, fosters a deeper connection to faith, and creates a sense of calm and focus.” As we consider once again the stark reality of our present condition as opposed to the coming future glory of God’s Kingdom, may it truly reinforce the biblical truths we learn, build spiritual discipline into our lives, foster a deeper connection to our shared faith, and create a sense of calm and focus as we look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

In the early 5th century AD, the great Christian theologian and philosopher, Augustine, wrote one of his seminal works, The City of God. In it, he saw in history two different cities battling each other on infinitely unequal terms: the City of Man, represented by Rome; and the City of God, represented by the true Christian church.

In chapter 2, Isaiah presents a similar contrast. He looks forward to the coming kingdom in vv. 2-4, and he describes the idols that would pull us away from God’s Kingdom in vv. 6-21. Is there an answer? Is there a hope? Indeed there is, and Isaiah details that as well.

By the way, Rome fell in 410 AD, which is one of the main things that led Augustine to begin his work on The City of God. The city of man will always disappoint and ultimately fail. The city of God is eternal, however, and is the source of our ultimate satisfaction, a truth we saw clearly in this Sunday’s message.

This past Sunday we had to opportunity to hear Rev. Seong Kim preach the Word in our Sunday morning service. That afternoon we officially voted to accept him as our next Associate Pastor! See a note regarding the sermon from Rev. Kim below!

"We find our great heroes of faith in Genesis. But in Chapter 16, we find them anything but great. While waiting for the promises of God, Abram, Sarai, and Hagar take matters into their own hands to usher in God’s blessing and promises. Little do they know that their actions have large negative ramifications, not only in their lives, but all thereafter. But when faced with complete ruin and no hope, the divine enters. Through the story of Hagar, we find our only hope."

Court is in session. Witnesses have been called. Charges and sentencing are being made. The Southern Kingdom of Israel has rebelled, practiced hypocritical religion and adulterated the righteousness of the city of Jerusalem. God’s judgment is coming for sinners who are just as bad as Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet, in the midst of the pronouncement of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem, the grace of God is set forth, a summons to repentance is issued, and the promise of redemption and restoration is foretold for those who repent of their sins. Isaiah weaves in the message of hope and the promise of salvation even through fiery judgment. The refiner’s fire will purify them of the dross and there will be a remnant of God’s people preserved by grace alone. This past Sunday we unpacked the first chapter of Isaiah’s vision together and consider how we too must heed the call to repentance and receive the gift of God’s grace or otherwise face God’s just judgment for our own rebellion, hypocrisy and unrighteousness.

For further thought and discussion, click the link below!