Joy for the Faithful in the New Heavens and New Earth (Isaiah 65:1-25)
The sermon outline can be found in the ministry guide.
I recently read an article in The Straits Times from January 26, 2024, highlighting a Quality of Life Survey conducted in 2022. It revealed a troubling trend: Singaporeans have become less happy over the past decade. Despite our economy's growth— boasting a real GDP rise of 3.6% in 2022— many of us feel an increasing sense of dissatisfaction.
You might wonder: How can this be? We are accumulating wealth, owning homes, taking quarterly holidays, and engaging in hobbies that enrich our lives. Yet, instead of joy and dissatisfaction, many report a growing emptiness, particularly among those who place a heavy emphasis on materialism.
My friends, are you happy and satisfied?
Perhaps you are facing troubles and suffering. Then I understand if you are not feeling happy and satisfied right now. I speak to those among us who have either overcome our troubles or are currently comfortable. Are you fully satisfied with life?
Even with our troubles resolved and comfort needs met, we still find ourselves not fully happy. Do you have things you long for and cannot truly find satisfaction for? Do you desire perfect happiness only to find it fleeting, or do you wish for a beautiful connection only to find it lacking in your relationship?
Author C S Lewis writes: "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world."
In other words, if your longing cannot be met, perhaps what can truly satisfy you is not found in this world, but can only be found on a whole new day in the world to come - the New Heavens and the New Earth.
This takes us to today's passage in Isaiah 65, where we will see a vision of the world to come. Isaiah 65 is a predictive prophecy written by the prophet Isaiah. He addresses the future Israelite exiles in Babylon in Isaiah 40-66, some time 150 years after Isaiah's time. Amid their exile, the Sovereign Lord saves.
In Isaiah 65 specifically, God answers the lament of the Israelites and their charge that God has been silent (see the end of Isaiah 64). In Isaiah 65, God deals with our fallen human condition — to seek satisfaction outside of God, even going to the extent of trying to manipulate religion to get what we want.
God then urges us to keep faith, and seek satisfaction in Him, and long for the lavish blessings of the New Heavens and the New Earth that is to come for those who are faithful.
God judges religious hypocrites while promising lavish blessings to the faithful remnant.
The big idea of today's passage is: God judges religious hypocrites while promising lavish blessings to the faithful remnant.
The outline for the message is:
Avoid Religious Hypocrisy, for God Will Judge (Isa 65:1-7)
Keep Faith in God, for He Will Save the Faithful Remnant (Isa 65:8-16)
Long for the Lavish Blessings of the New Heavens and the New Earth (Isa 65:17-25)
Avoid Religious Hypocrisy, for God Will Judge (Isa 65:1-7)
The Israelites in exile bring a charge against God in Isaiah 64:12 — "Will you restrain yourself at these things, O LORD? Will you keep silent, and afflict us so terribly?"
So, has God been silent? Looking at Isaiah 65:1-7, we see what God replies through the prophet Isaiah. As we read Isaiah 65:1, who are those who did not ask or seek God? Is it the rebellious Israelites, the faithful remnant or perhaps the Gentiles?
At the end of Isaiah 65:1, we get a hint: they are "a nation that was not called by my name". The Israelites are a nation called by God's name (Deut 7:6). So, God is referring to the Gentiles here.
Paul quotes Isaiah 65:1 in Romans 10:20 and makes it clear this verse refers to the Gentiles. In God's wisdom and plan, God revealed himself to Gentiles (Rom 10:20). We were not seeking Him or calling on His name, yet God's message of salvation came to the Gentiles. This was the aim of His covenant with Abraham. God blessed all the families of the earth through the family of Abraham (Gen. 12:2–3).
My friends, we seek because God has first sought us out. Think about this: God sought us even before we sought Him. For those exploring Christianity, perhaps you've said, "I'll consider faith if God shows Himself." Let me assure you: He is actively pursuing you. What's holding you back from responding? God has already revealed Himself perfectly in and through His Son, Jesus Christ, and His Word, the Bible.
Christians, remember that we seek because God has first sought us out. This grace of God revealing Himself to us should cause us to be grateful to God. Beloved, how is God's grace of first revealing himself kindle gratitude in your hearts?
Consider this: If God reveals Himself to the Gentiles, how much more is He gracious to reveal Himself to the Israelites who are His people. The problem then lay in the people, not in God.
So, what is the problem with the Israelites?
God now addresses the Israelites, and we see the reasons in Isaiah 65:2-7. Such is God's longing for His people and we see that God is pictured with outstretched hands in Isaiah 65:2, eager to receive His people.
However, the Israelites had shown themselves to be stubborn and rebellious, ignoring their Creator's outstretched hands. They want to walk in their own ways and do their own things. Isaiah 65:3 says that they continue to make God angry. How? They engaged in outrageous acts of idolatry (Isa 65:3–5).
The first religious act God condemns is they "sacrifice in gardens and make offerings on bricks." They disregard God's requirement of worship. Rather than using uncut stones to make an altar, as God commanded in Exodus 20:24-26, they did whatever they wanted. Their religious practice was more like the practices of pagans (c.f. Isa 65:7)
The second religious act God condemns is in Isaiah 65:4. Deuteronomy 18 forbade necromancy and fortune-telling; instead, the Bible commanded attention to God's prophetic Word through the prophets. The rebellious Israelites sought to foretell the future by consorting with the spirits, ignoring God's Word.
The third religious act God condemns is they were unconcerned with the food laws — they shockingly ate unclean meat, as seen in Isaiah 65:4. Isaiah 65:5 tells us that they were unconcerned about God's standard of holiness. Instead, they pursued their notions of holiness, elevating their religiosity and holiness above their neighbours. Like the smoke that irritates our noses, their religious hypocrisy continues to irritate God. Their religious hypocrisy invites God's judgement. Isaiah's contemporaries— and their ancestors — had provoked the Lord by their sins.
We see God's response in Isaiah 65:6-7. God will not keep silent but repay them for their iniquity and sin. Because of their religious hypocrisy and idolatry, which included burning sacrifices in high places to idols that did not exist. God will take a measure and repay it to them. God's judgement on the Israelites was a display of His righteousness.
Self-centred religiosity will not save but, instead, invite God's judgement.
Beloved, avoid religious hypocrisy, for God will judge. Self-centred religiosity will not save but, instead, invite God's judgement. You should serve and worship God according to God's way. But even more so, you should serve God with an allegiance from the heart, not seeking to serve yourself.
Let me give you an example. If you practice outward Christianity, e.g., serving or taking part in Christian activities, but you are loyal to yourself, and you seek benefits for yourself, then you may have a form of transactional Christianity. Transactional Christianity says: If I serve more, have more quiet time, and go on mission trips, then God is somehow obligated to bless me, and people should treat me better and give me what I want. So, it's all about me.
My friends, you seem to serve God, but you are actually servingyourself, So, what I'm trying to say is: It is essential to live authentically with faith and be loyal to God from the heart, as God sees through pretence. Remember, true faith is not merely a façade; It requires integrity, sincerity, and an allegiance to God from the heart. So, examine your heart regularly to see if your motives are holy. Invite others to speak into your lives and point out when you are not sincere.
God's judgement, then, is the outcome for religious hypocrites. But, what then is the fate of those who trust in God's promises and seek to keep the covenant?
Keep Faith in God, for He Will Save the Faithful Remnant (Isa 65:8-16)
Isaiah 65:8-16 shows us a remnant in Israel. God's judgement on Israel through Babylon will not be a wholesale rejection of Israel. Isaiah 65:8 tells us there will be a remnant, like new wine found in the cluster of grapes, "for there is a blessing [or good] in it". So, God will not destroy them all but graciously keep a remnant. Blessings will given to the remnant.
Isaiah 65:9-10 say that offspring from Jacob and Judah will come forth and possess the inheritance God has for His people. From Sharon in the west and the Valley of Achor in the east, symbolically meaning the whole of the Promised Land, they will dwell there in peace. No blessing will come for the wicked; however, in Isaiah 65:11-12, those who forsake the Lord will be forsaken. Those who worship the idol "Destiny" will be destined for slaughter; those who set a table for the idol "Fortune" will suffer misfortune. The people of God are not to engage in pagan practices, for such things undermine exclusive trust in and allegiance to God.
The people should listen to God's words, but the wicked refuse and instead focus on what displeases God. They will do evil in His sight, shamelessly and devoted to evil. The troubling truth that Isaiah's prophecy reveals is that not all the Israelites are true Israelites — not all ethnic Israelites are worshipers of Yahweh God.
Likewise, my friends, just because someone goes to church and does Christian things and practices Christian rituals doesn't make one a Christian. Going to church can be dangerous in so far as you delude yourself that Christian practices make you a Christian.
Paul urges us in 2 Corinthians 13:5: "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?— unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"
What makes one a Christian is that Jesus Christ is in you. When you trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, the Spirit of Christ lives in you, giving you life!
God Himself will save the remnant and bring to a final end all hypocrisy
However, this is not all, God Himself will save the remnant and bring to a final end all hypocrisy. From Isaiah 65:13-16, we can see that there is a remnant of believers within the rebellious nation of Israel; God calls them "my servants" here. God rightly distinguish between His servants and the rest.
Who are God's servants? They are those who trust in His true and better Servant, the Servant King Jesus Christ who was to come. Isaiah 65:13 tells us that God's servants will have food, drink, and joy. The rest will lack these things.
Isaiah 65:14 says that God's servants will sing from joy. The rest will wail in anguish.
Isaiah 65: 15 informs us that God's servants will receive a new name — just as the patriarchs, e.g. Jacob, was given a new name of Israel (Gen. 32), we will receive a new name, signifying that we are now part of God's covenant. The rest will have names invoked in curses. The contrasting futures for the righteous and wicked are clear.
My friends, God's Word tells us there are two ways to live and two destinies. You live serving self-made idols, and this way leads to judgment and destruction. This is the path of those who forsake God. You live giving allegiance to God, and this way leads to receiving God's promised inheritance.
This is the path of the faithful remnant. The remnant are those who put their trust in God's promises and keep covenant with God. On this side of the cross and resurrection, the "remnant" are those who place their faith in Jesus and trust in Him to save.
My non-Christian friends, you may have been brought here by your friend today; You may have visited our website and decided to give Christianity another chance. The decision before today is this: You have two ways to live and two destinies.
Jesus Himself speaks to us in John 3:36: "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." Choose life and put your trust in Jesus Christ alone. Trust that Jesus Christ died on the cross in your place for the forgiveness of your sins. Believe that God raised Jesus for the dead for our new life — eternal life. Otherwise, the other way leads to God's wrath and death.
If this is your decision, or if you want to talk and find out more, you can speak to your Christian friend who brought you or talk to any of the Elders after this worship service.
Beloved, the bottom line is: Keep faith in God, for He will save us who trust Jesus. How does God's promise to save and keep those who keep faith in Jesus encourage you?
Here's an example: I speak to some of you who struggle with whether you are a Christian. You can be encouraged. It is God who saves and keeps His faithful. If you keep faith in God, thrusting in Jesus to save, you will be counted among God's servants, and the God of truth will bless you and give you your salvation inheritance!
Another example is this: As God's servants, you will face vindication. If you suffer for the sake of being a Christian, press on. God has given you another name — you are now heirs to the promises of the covenant. What you suffer right now will pale to the promises that will be fulfilled!
The point I'm making is this: Place your trust in God's unwavering promise of salvation through the Servant. When you hold fast to your faith in Jesus Christ, you become part of a cherished remnant God protects and blesses.
So, what blessings await the faithful remnant?
Long for the Lavish Blessings of the New Heavens and the New Earth (Isa 65:17-25)
Isaiah 65:17 tells us that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and that at the end of all things, He will create new heavens and a new earth (c.f. Gen 1:1). God's creation was pronounced good (Gen 1:31), and He will indeed triumph over the subsequent effects of sin and the curse.
This new creation is represented by a new Jerusalem, the holy city in the promised land (Isa 65:18). God's people will dwell there with Him without tears or weeping, but God's delight will be on us (Isa 65:19). God's people will be His joy, and He will be theirs. We will be totally happy.
The apostle John describes the fulfilment of these hopes when he records his vision about the new Heaven and the new earth (Rev 21:1). The new Jerusalem in Revelation descends from Heaven (Rev 21:2). There will no longer be tears, brokenness, or pain (Rev 21:4).
Isaiah 65:17 tells us that when God creates the new Jerusalem, the old order of things will have passed away (Rev 21:4). The tragedies that occurred in the fallen world will not be part of the world made new, and death due to the curse will be no more.
God's people will enjoy long life (Isa 65:20). The new creation will consist of a glorified labour that is full of joy and blessing: "we will not labour in vain" (Isa 65:21–23). God's people, on their return from exile, will enjoy the fruit of the Promised Land. We will live a life that is totally secure. God's people will commune with God Himself.
God will eagerly hear and answer them even before they speak (Isa 65:24). The hostilities that were part of the former things will not characterize God's glorious future for His people.
Isaiah 65:25 says that surprises are in store. For example, the wolf and lamb will eat together, no longer predator and prey. Only one feature is not reversed — divine judgement on sin and its instigator — the serpent (c.f. Gen. 3:14). The serpent will still bear God's judgement.
Other than that, the blessing of God will triumph over the curse. Shalom is in every scene and relationship of the new creation. We will be totally at peace. The curse is fully and finally reversed.
You may have heard it said of someone: "He is so heavenly-minded that he is of no earthly good." Beloved, I put it to you that the Bible urges us to be heavenly-minded so that we can be of earthly good. Isaiah paints a beautiful vision of that brand new day in the New Heavens and the New Earth — the fulfilment of God's promise to the faithful.
How would this hope of the abundant blessings of the New Heavens and the New Earth influence us right now? It should lead us to a holy dissatisfaction with this current world. Take an example of this holy dissatisfaction: We are dissatisfied with this world, which leads to a loosening of the hold of worldly treasures in our hearts. If God has promised something so much better, How can we be satisfied with something less?
Another way of saying it is that a photo of a grand waterfall is less satisfying than being there in person. This loosening of the hold of worldly treasures over our hearts will help us fight sin and idolatry practically. Sin will lose its appeal. This holy dissatisfaction will also lead us to learn to lament. A lament is a prayer expressing sorrow, pain, or confusion.
God is in the process of making all things right. The completion is soon, but it has yet to arrive. Things can and will go wrong. The grief of the death of a friend gone too soon. The sorrow of loneliness in this broken world where human connection is marred. The sadness of our struggle with sin.
We should learn to lament.
Lament should be the chief way Christians process grief in God's presence. And the promise of the New Heaven and New Earth should bring us comfort. Someday soon, all will be made right.
When we receive a call from the doctors that we have cancer. When we find out that our loved one has dementia. When we face injustice from our employers. When despite our efforts at reconciliation, our family relationships still break down.
All these present sufferings will pale compared to the brand-new day to come.
Another example would be that this holy dissatisfaction should lead us to long for the return of Jesus Christ to put all things right. It should also lead us to do all things for the glory of God, seeking to live a life of love of neighbour right now, knowing that Jesus is making all things right.
Beloved, what intentional steps can you take to cultivate a profound longing for the New Heavens and the New Earth?
Read and saturate your minds with bible passages on the New Heavens and the New Earth in Revelation 21-22. A good book to read is "Heaven" by Randy Alcorn.
Set your affections aflame by singing good hymns and songs like "On That Day" by City Alight or "When We All Get to Heaven."
Gather regularly as a church. The church is an outpost that gives us glimpses of the reality of the new heavens and new earth, as we speak, sing, and live in ways that demonstrate our holy dissatisfaction, thereby encouraging one another to long for the Lavish Blessings of the New Heavens and the New Earth.
Long eagerly for a future filled with unimagined lavish blessings that God has in store for His faithful followers.
Beloved, the main takeaway is that God is keeping us and fulfilling His promises. This should ignite our heart's desire for the New Creation, where joy and peace abound. Long eagerly for a future filled with unimagined lavish blessings that God has in store for His faithful followers. Long for that whole new day.
On that whole new day, heaven and earth will be new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.
On that whole new day, Holy Jerusalem, new-created, will descend resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.
On that whole new day, we will hear a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighbourhood, making his home with men and women! We will be his people, He will be our God.
On that whole new day, He'll wipe every tear from our eyes. Death is gone for good — tears gone, crying gone, pain gone — all the first order of things gone."
On that whole new day, the Enthroned would resound, "Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down — each Word dependable and accurate."
Then He said, "It's happened. I'm A to Z. I'm the Beginning, I'm the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this.”
On that whole new day, God will be God to us, and we will be His sons and daughters.
So, beloved, long for this whole new day.
And as we wait for that whole new day:
"Onward to the prize before us!
Soon His beauty we'll behold;
Soon, the pearly gates will open–
We shall tread the streets of gold
When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!"
Let us pray.
Bibliography
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Ortlund, R. (2023). Isaiah: Commentary: Ray Ortlund: TGCBC. The Gospel Coalition. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/commentary/isaiah/#section-1
Barry Webb, The Message of Isaiah: On Eagles' Wings, ed. J. A. Motyer and Derek Tidball, The Bible Speaks Today. England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1996.
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