The Conquering Lord (Isaiah 59:14-60:22)
The sermon outline can be found in the ministry guide.
“I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing… Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:19, 24) Some of us may recognise these words from Paul’s letter to the Romans. It’s striking how Paul is so transparent about his struggle with sin. We tend to do the opposite. We would rather hide our struggles, wanting to appear as though we have it all together. But the Bible is honest about the struggles of the normal life of faith.
While we live in a fallen world, we will wrestle with weakness and weariness. What besetting sins do we struggle with? In what specific areas are we prone to temptation and sin? It may be anger and impatience that lead us to speak harshly. It may be lust that causes us to look at and think about what we should not. It may be bitterness that makes us unforgiving. It may be unbelief that makes us fearful and anxious. It may be pride that makes us selfish and self-centred.
Like us, Israel struggled with sin. There were some in Israel, Isaiah included, who were troubled by the nation’s sinfulness. In Isaiah 59:4-8, Isaiah highlights the people’s sins. But he is not merely pointing the finger at others in a self-righteous way. Notice how the personal pronouns change from “they” to “we” in Isaiah 59:9-13. Isaiah acknowledges his own sinfulness, along with the rest of the people. Look at Isaiah 59:12-13: “Our transgressions are multiplied before you, and our sins testify against us; for our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities: transgressing, and denying the LORD, and turning back from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart lying words.”
Take heart, for the conquering Lord will save His people.
In John Bunyan’s famous allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress, the main character Christian falls into a swamp called the slough of despond. Sinking deeper into the mire, he gets stuck. The slough represents the guilt and shame of sin, which leads to fear and doubt. These verses in Isaiah 59 are Isaiah’s “slough of despond”. The prophet despairs of the unbearable burden of sin. As Isaiah 59:9 states, “We hope for light, and behold, darkness, and for brightness, but we walk in gloom.” Are we discouraged by our sinfulness? What can wash away our sin and make us whole again? We desperately need a Saviour, someone who can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Our text points us to the Saviour we need, the one who can defeat sin and death. This is the big idea: Take heart, for the conquering Lord will save His people. We will unpack this in two points:
The glory of the conquering Lord
The glory of the Lord’s people.
The glory of the conquering Lord (Isa 59:14-21)
Israel was in serious spiritual and moral decline. Isaiah 59:14-15 describe how injustice and unrighteousness have become rampant in society. Truth has vanished from the public square. Those who try to do what is right are exploited, oppressed and persecuted. This could very well be describing the state of the world today. The world has become a darker, more dangerous place. Standards of right and wrong have been turned upside down. Fake news and false teaching obscure the truth. People are becoming more individualistic and self-centred, doing what is right in their own eyes. We ought to grieve over the brokenness of sin, but not in a self-righteous way. Even as we lament the state of the world, we also confess that our sin problem is not only out there, but also in here — inside our very own hearts. Instead of worshiping God, who made us for His glory, we have all turned away from Him to live for ourselves.
God will do what it takes to protect His name and His people.
But the Lord sees (Isa 59:15b). He is a just judge who cannot turn a blind eye to sin. It displeased Him that there was no justice. Because God is holy and righteous, He cannot be indifferent about sin. His glory is at stake. God will do what it takes to protect His name and His people. Do we see sin as God sees it? Repentance involves seeing sin as God sees it. Rather than trying to justify, minimise or excuse our sin, we agree with God that we have done what is evil and offensive to Him. God is appalled by our sin. Repentance means taking God’s side against our sin.
Who can save us? Look at Isaiah 59:16 — “There was no man, no one to intercede.” We cannot save ourselves. But the Lord who sees is also the Lord who saves. Knowing our helplessness, He shows us mercy and compassion. The Lord Himself will come to redeem His people from sin. So, take heart. The Lord fights for us. His own arm brought him salvation, and His righteousness upheld him. The Lord is strong to save. God is motivated by His own righteousness. We can trust Him to do what is right. This echoes what God said at the Exodus, “I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment” (Exo 6:6).
But here, Isaiah looks forward to a far greater redemption. Isaiah 59:17 portrays the Lord as a divine warrior going forth to conquer. His perfections are His armour. God wins because of who He is, because of the glory of His Person. The breastplate of righteousness refers to God’s faithfulness to His promises. He is true to His character and His word. The helmet of salvation refers to God’s wise and single-minded purpose to save. The garments of vengeance refer to how the Lord will punish sin. He will save through judgement. The Lord’s cloak of zeal refers to His intense concern for His glory and the good of His people. The Lord is determined to judge and save.
Isaiah 59:18-19 describe the results of the Lord’s work. The whole world will be judged. His justice will be done. Those who reject the Lord and His people will receive their just desserts. Be warned: Judgement is coming. No sin — whether in word, deed, or thought — will be left unpunished. But if we have trusted in the Lord and belong to Him, then His judgement is of great comfort to us. We can be assured that all the wrongs we suffer in a sinful world will finally be dealt with. In the end, the Lord will make all things right. He will heal and repair the fallenness and brokenness we see all around. Although earthly justice fails, we can still trust and hope in the just God to do what is right. Therefore, Romans 12:19 exhorts us: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” Instead of being consumed with hatred, bitterness and revenge, we can be free to love and forgive our enemies. How much more, then, should we love one another as fellow members of the body of Christ? Next Sunday, we will be celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Before we come to the table, let us examine our relationships with one another. Have we wronged a brother or sister? Is there a relationship we need to put right?
From the east to the west, all peoples shall fear the name of the LORD. Like a rushing stream driven by a strong wind, nothing can stop the Lord from coming in His glory. The fame of His name will spread to every nation, tribe, and tongue. This is how it begins. As Isaiah 59:20 states, a Redeemer will come to Zion. He comes to save all who repent and trust in Him, beginning with Israel then all nations, even to the ends of the earth.
Through an anointed Redeemer, the LORD will make a covenant with His people. Look at Isaiah 59:21. With words that echo the servant songs from chapters 40-55, the LORD speaks to the coming Redeemer. The LORD will put His Spirit and His word in Him. The Redeemer will be empowered by God’s Spirit to speak God’s word. What is more, the LORD will also put His Spirit and His word into all who belong to the Redeemer — His offspring, and His offspring’s offspring. This is God’s covenant commitment to His people: God gives us His Spirit and word to assure us that we belong to Him.
God has kept His word. He has sent His Son, who came in the flesh. Jesus is fully God and fully man. Jesus is the promised Redeemer, full of the Spirit and God’s word. The Spirit descended upon Jesus. He came to preach the good news of forgiveness and eternal life. How can a holy God punish sin and forgive sinners? He Himself will bear the punishment as a substitute. Jesus died on the cross to bear the punishment for our sins, so that we can be forgiven and saved from God’s wrath. God declared Jesus righteous by raising Him from the dead. Jesus redeems us from sin and death if we trust in Him. The gospel is God’s power to save everyone who believes, to the Jews first and also to Gentiles. In Christ, God gives us His Spirit as a guarantee that He will finish the work He began in us. Beloved, this is our confidence and hope.
The Old Testament prophets understood the coming of the Lord as one event, comprising salvation and judgement. The New Testament reveals how this event has two parts. The Lord Jesus has already come to save sinners. He has not yet come to judge. We now live in the last days between the already and the not yet, between the first and second comings of Christ. The Lord will come again to judge the living and the dead, but now is still the day of salvation. Therefore, do not wait. Turn to Jesus now. Seek the Lord while He may be found. When Christ shall come with trumpet sound, may we then in Him be found.
The glory of the Lord’s people (Isa 60:1-22)
The conquering Lord is our hope. Isaiah 60 describes how He will glorify His people. The promises in this chapter will finally and fully come to fruition when the Lord Jesus returns. But even now, God is keeping His word to save and gather a people for His glory. So, do not lose heart. Yes, our sins are great; but God’s grace is greater than all our sins. God will dispel the darkness of sin and shine on us the glorious light of His saving grace. Isaiah 60:1-2 echo Isaiah 25:7-8, “He will swallow up on this mountain he covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth.” As the rising sun drives the dark of night away, so the coming of the Lord will cause His glory to shine on His people and dispel the darkness. Isaiah 60 highlights two characteristics of God’s redeemed people: they shall be global and glorious.
A global people (Isa 60:3-16)
God is a missionary with a heart for the whole world. His concern is not only for national Israel, but also for all nations. His promises and plan are worldwide in scope. He redeems peoples from every nation, tribe, and tongue. God will save a remnant of Israel, so that the good news of His salvation can go forth from Israel to the world. God intends for His redeemed people to be a light for the nations. See Isaiah 60:3 — Nations shall come to your light.
God is a missionary with a heart for the whole world.
God blesses His people that they might bless others. This fulfils God’s promise to Abraham all the way back at the beginning of the Bible. Genesis 12:2-3 says: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing… in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” The Bible is one continuous story of how God will bless the whole world and reverse the curse of sin through Abraham’s promised offspring.
How will the nations be blessed? It is by knowing and worshiping God. They will be blessed when they abandon their idols and false gods and turn to the true God who is the Creator and Redeemer. Israel is to be a worship-magnet, attracting the nations to bring their wealth to God. How has knowing God changed the way we view and use our money? As Isaiah 60:5-7 states. Isaiah describes how the nations will bring their offerings to Israel in worship. Midian and Ephah were Abraham’s son and grandson, respectively, through Keturah, whom Abraham took as wife after Sarah died. Sheba was originally descended from Noah’s son, Ham. Kedar and Nebaioth were sons of Ishmael. Although these did not belong to national Israel before, their coming speaks ofhow God’s people will ultimately include nations near and far. It is a people defined by grace, not race.
What’s striking is that the offerings of the Gentiles will be pleasing to the LORD: they shall come up with acceptance on my altar (Isa 60:7b). In fact, the wealth of the nations, even from the ends of the earth, will beautify God’s house and people. Look at Isaiah 60:9 — “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”. The glory of Lebanon will beautify the place of (God’s) sanctuary (Isa 60:13).
Former foes become friends. Peace and reconciliation make God’s people especially beautiful. As Isaiah 60:10-11 states, the nations once oppressed and opposed Israel, but now foreigners shall build up your walls. Instead of war, there will be peace and security. Zion’s gates shall be open continually for the nations to bring their wealth in. Recent news reports concerning the Middle East may worry us. Conflicts and rumours of war are unsettling. But fear not, for God has promised peace between Jews and Gentiles. This is not an earthly peace achieved through human, political means. Rather, this is true, permanent peace that only God can bring about through His plan of salvation. This peace is the fruit of the gospel, as God reconciles erstwhile enemies to Himself and to one another. No matter how dire the political situation, remember that the Lord saves.
God’s redeemed people represent Him. Therefore, to reject God’s people is to reject Him. Isaiah 60:12 warns of judgement for those who continue to oppose and persecute God’s people. But those who join themselves to God’s people will have a place in the glorious City of the LORD, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel (Isa 60:14). God invites us into the joy of His people, whom He redeems and restores. No longer will we be forsaken and hated, for God will make (us) majestic forever, a joy from age to age (Isa 60:15-16). The world may despise us, but we can be assured of God’s favour and pleasure if we belong to Him. He calls us to trust in Him, the Lord who saves. You shall know that I, the LORD, am your Saviour and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
These wonderful promises of a global people of God are fulfilled in Jesus. The mention of gold and frankincense (Isa 60:6) alludes to the visit of the wise men, who travelled from Gentile lands to see Jesus in Bethlehem. Matthew 2:11 says, “opening their treasures…(they) offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh”. God has sent Jesus to seek and save true worshipers. He will gather for worship a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus creates in Himself one new humanity, comprising Jews and Gentiles. God’s house is not a building made up of lifeless brick and mortar, but a spiritual temple comprising living stones, beautiful in its diversity. God’s house is His people Speaking to Jews and Gentiles in Ephesians 2, Paul says they all belong to God’s family. Jesus unites us, regardless of race, nationality, background or culture. We grow into a holy temple in the Lord. We are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Beloved, the church is the people of God. We are God’s house. He saved and gathered us to display His glory through our unity and love for one another, especially those who are different from us. What can we do to beautify and build God’s house? Ephesians 4 tells us: Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love. Speak the truth in love to one another, that we might grow in Christ together. Be kind and tenderhearted towards one another. Forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave us.
Do we also share God’s missionary heart? As God’s redeemed people, we are to be His light to the nations. We are to go with the gospel. This does not mean we have to leave the country. Let us pray for and seek out evangelistic opportunities at home, at work, at play. Join the monthly prayer for unreached peoples hosted by our members. Help build up the local church — healthy churches are necessary for and central to missions, because God intends to display His glory globally through His gathered people. Through our life together as a church, we are meant to say to the world, “Come and see the beauty of Christ!”
A glorious people (Isa 60:17-22)
God’s redeemed are a global people. They are also a glorious people (Isa 60:17-22). Indeed, God redeems, renews and restores, so that His people reflect His glory. Isaiah 60:17-18 tell of how the Lord saves and transforms. Bronze becomes gold. Iron becomes silver. He makes the profane holy, the unclean clean, the weak strong, the worthless precious. Before, Israel was corrupt and sinful. But God transforms them into a people of peace, righteousness, salvation, and praise. So, do not lose heart, beloved. Even as we struggle with our flaws, faults, and failings, be assured that Jesus has defeated sin. Jesus has cancelled the guilt of sin. He has broken the power of sin. One day, He will fully remove the pollution sin from us. He can and will glorify His redeemed people.
He is our glory. Do not settle for lesser things which have no glory at all.
In Isaiah 60:19-20, we see that the Lord Himself will dwell with us. We will have no need for sun or moon, for the LORD will be (our) everlasting light. Why should we rely on anything less, when the Lord Himself is for us and with us? He is our glory. Do not settle for lesser things which have no glory at all. God has sent His Son, Jesus, to live among us. He became flesh to make God known to us. In Christ, we see the glory of God, full of grace and truth. He dwells in us by the Spirit, who opens our spiritual eyes to see Jesus and who makes us more like Him. As we behold the Lord’s glory, we are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. In God’s presence, we will be glorified with Him. We shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.
In Isaiah 5, God lamented over the sorry state of Israel, which was likened to a useless vineyard producing bad fruit. But here in Isaiah 60:21-22, the Lord replants His people, so that they bear the good fruit of righteousness for His glory. Instead of being a mere remnant, the Lord will grow His people into a mighty nation (Isa 60:22).
These glorious promises have begun to be fulfilled with the first coming of Christ. The gospel is growing worldwide. People are being saved and gathered. But the full fulfilment awaits Jesus’ return. Beloved, we are to live in light of that great day, when Jesus will make all things new. We look forward to dwelling with God in the new heavens and new earth. Revelation 21 describes God’s glorified people as a new Jerusalem. The apostle John sees a vision of our future glory: “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day — and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations” (Rev. 21:22-26). Then, we will no longer have to struggle with sin. Revelation 22:3 says, “No longer will there be anything accused, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.” The Lord God will be our light. We will see His face.
The faithful God will accomplish his plan according to His timetable. He is never late. He will never fail.
So, do not give up. Though we struggle now, the end is not in doubt. Who will deliver us from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! In Christ alone, our hope and future are secure. Hear what God says in Isaiah 60:22: “I am the LORD; in its time I will hasten it.” The faithful God will accomplish His plan according to His timetable. He is never late. He will never fail. Therefore, arise for our light has come. Be strong in the Lord by putting on Christ and His armour: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness for the gospel, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word. Be ready to stand firm till the end. Take heart, for the Lord Jesus has conquered. No one and nothing — not even our sins — can separate us from His love. We are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ, the conquering Lord who loves us.