Glimpses of Glory God's Rule
Series: Isaiah
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 7th May 2023
Passage: Isaiah 13:1-22
00:00:00 --> 00:00:06 Well, good morning, and if you are just joining us, we are, as we have said, partway through
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 the book of Isaiah, which we're working through this term.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:13 There is something quite majestic about the scope of this book.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 It has a grandeur in its scope.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:25 The second verse of Isaiah calls the heavens and the earth to bear witness, and in the
00:00:25 --> 00:00:29 very last paragraph, we read of a new heaven and a new earth.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:36 And so the journey of the book of Isaiah is from creation to new creation, such is the
00:00:36 --> 00:00:37 scope of it.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:44 It is cosmic, and cosmic renewal in a grand scale is what this book is about.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:51 In God's wisdom and in his providence, that cosmic renewal is being worked out through
00:00:51 --> 00:00:59 this little nation of Judah, being played out through the pages of history.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:00 In this little nation.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:08 And yet, as we open the book of Isaiah, it is quite dark days for Judah.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:17 You see, Judah is sitting, waiting, cowering in the corner like a little puppy, waiting
00:01:17 --> 00:01:24 for the mighty Assyrian army just on the other side of its northern borders to take up its
00:01:24 --> 00:01:30 arms and walk in and annex Judah, as it has done Israel previously.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:37 And so the question for Judah is, where is your security?
00:01:37 --> 00:01:42 What is it that you are hoping for?
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 Where is it you look for your hope?
00:01:46 --> 00:01:57 If you were here last week, the main idea was to turn to God's king for hope.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:02 In repentance and faith, turn to God's king.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:11 Today, it's linked to that idea, but it's turn away from other things as well, is the
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 point of today's message.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:17 And so if you've got the St. Paul's app, three points.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:18 God and the nations.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:20 God and Judah.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 And God and us.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:26 So let's kick off, first of all, God and the nations.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:33 Isaiah 1 to 12, which is where we finish last week, is the first main section of this prophecy.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:40 And it began with a focus on Judah, and it ends with a focus on the nations.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:48 And as we pick up the second major section of this book, which is chapters 13 to 27, we
00:02:48 --> 00:02:53 begin with a focus on the nations, and we end with a focus on Judah.
00:02:53 --> 00:03:02 As a relatively small nation, it was constantly threatened by great powers.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:11 And Judah, therefore, was constantly tempted to look to political and military alliances in
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 order to save her.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:24 And so our concern today is really chapters 13 to 23, or really 13 to 27.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:32 And if you've got a Bible in front of you and you flick through the pages, you'll see the
00:03:32 --> 00:03:37 chapter headings or the section headings, and those section headings will tell you exactly
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 what these chapters are all about.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:48 Now, they are 10 oracles, prophecies against the nations that are surrounding Judah.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:56 They are structured into two groups of five oracles, and each of the two groups of five begin
00:03:56 --> 00:04:00 with Babylon, the nation of Babylon.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:08 Now, Babylon historically is known as one of the seven wonders of the world.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:14 It's also the sacred capital and power base of the great king Nebuchadnezzar, who you can
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 read about in the Old Testament book of Daniel.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:26 And the reason Babylon comes first in both sections of five oracles is that in Bible thinking,
00:04:27 --> 00:04:36 Babylon is not just a real place, but it also is a symbol of collective human defiance and
00:04:36 --> 00:04:37 rebellion against God.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:48 Babylon was historically built on the site of the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:59 And the Tower of Babel being the monument to human desire to push God out of life and to make
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 a name for ourselves.
00:05:02 --> 00:05:10 It's the ultimate symbol, Tower of Babel, Genesis 11, the ultimate symbol of human rebellion against
00:05:10 --> 00:05:10 God.
00:05:10 --> 00:05:17 And it's a symbolism that's carried right through into the New Testament.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:24 1 Peter 5, verse 13, the apostle Peter refers to the Roman Empire as Babylon.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:35 And likewise, the apostle John announces the ultimate downfall of prideful world powers at the end of time in Revelation 18,
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 using the word Isaiah 21, fallen.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:42 Fallen is Babylon.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 Babylon.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:44 Babylon.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:59 And so as we consider the grand scope of Isaiah, we also note that Babylon rises at the beginning of the Bible and it falls at the end of the Bible.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:05 Babylon represents all that stands against God.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 All that is rebellious against God.
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 All that is an enemy of God.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:18 All that is about human pride and achievement without God.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:32 And even in chapter 13, which is our focus today, we are to understand that what is prophesied here about Babylon is more than just the nation.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:40 In verse 11, we read God saying, I will punish the world for its evil.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:49 What that means is, as we look at chapter 13, and please have your Bibles open because you really need to have your Bibles open.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:55 I'll even pause for you to let you get it.
00:06:58 --> 00:06:59 Excellent.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 Going for apps, Bibles.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:06 If you need a Bible, put your hand up or take one from the person next to you.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:17 What this means is, as we read about Babylon here in chapter 13, we are reading about the great cities of our own day.
00:07:19 --> 00:07:26 What does God say to London, Tokyo, New York, Beijing, Dubai, Sydney?
00:07:27 --> 00:07:33 You could extend that and ask, what does God say to the great multinational companies of our day?
00:07:33 --> 00:07:37 BHP and Apple and Amazon and Google and Meta.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:47 And what's more, what does God say about the great ideologies and opinion formers and culture shapers of our day of liberal democracy and Islam and secularism?
00:07:49 --> 00:07:54 What does God say to everything that we have built for ourselves?
00:07:54 --> 00:07:59 Verse 6 of chapter 13.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 Wail for the day of the Lord is near.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 It will come like destruction from the Almighty.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 And then down into verse 9.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:16 The day of the Lord is coming, a cruel day with wrath and fierce anger to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:24 Both of those verses mention the day of the Lord.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:33 It represents both a particular time in history and something far deeper and greater as well.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:44 It's first a reference to the year 539 BC when the Babylonian Empire finally fell.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:50 It finally fell to the Medi-Persian Empire under Cyrus.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:57 But it also refers to a day that is yet to come when the Lord Jesus will return.
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 We see this at the end of the Bible.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:10 And do what he did here to Babylon to bring judgment upon the pride and the arrogance of all who dare to oppose him.
00:09:10 --> 00:09:23 And most of Isaiah 13, which was just read out to us, is a vivid description of what that day will be like.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 What is it about our society that makes God in?
00:09:30 --> 00:09:42 Well, in one verse, we are given a telling insight into the mind of the judge of all people.
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 Verse 11.
00:09:43 --> 00:09:48 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:54 I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
00:09:54 --> 00:10:02 In its essence, evil is the opposite of everything that's good.
00:10:03 --> 00:10:10 Evil is not a category that is reserved for some people, but not others.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:18 It's a category that's reserved for all people, not just the worst of people.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:24 It's described in verse 11 as arrogance, pride, haughty, as sin.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:33 As the German theologian Martin Luther wrote, the human heart is curved in on itself.
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 Definition of pride.
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 Curved in on itself.
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 Looks to itself.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 That's the essence of the problem.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:48 We put ourselves where only God should be.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 Now, I'll be frank with you.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:55 I do not tend to think of my neighbours or even of myself as evil.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 And yet, I have done things.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:05 I have said things and thought things that have caused harm to others.
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 And I still do.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 I've acted.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:15 I do act for my own advantage at the expense of others.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 I did it yesterday.
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 There was a long line of traffic.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 I rammed up on the inside and pushed in.
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 The guy behind me didn't like it.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 But my car was bigger than his.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:41 In its essence, evil is the opposite of everything good.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:44 It is my heart curved in and of itself.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 Think about myself first.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 I departed from the good ways of the God who made me.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:58 And God says humanity must be held accountable for it and he will punish the wicked for their sins.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:05 God will bring low the pride, the proud.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:10 He will bring low the pride, the presumption of those who exalt themselves.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:15 And so I ask you, have you ever believed your own publicity?
00:12:17 --> 00:12:21 Have you ever refused to let God be God?
00:12:23 --> 00:12:27 Have you ever thought that his word is mistaken, misguided, wrong?
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 Have you ever justified your behaviour?
00:12:32 --> 00:12:35 Even used the Bible to justify your behaviour?
00:12:35 --> 00:12:35 Have you ever justified your behaviour?
00:12:35 --> 00:12:35 Have you ever justified your behaviour?
00:12:40 --> 00:12:49 And so in verse 2, he will muster a mighty army through whom he will punish the proud.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop.
00:12:52 --> 00:12:55 Shout to them, beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:58 I have commanded those I prepared for battle.
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 Those who rejoice in my triumph.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:07 Listen, a noise on the mountains like that of a great multitude.
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:16 Like nations massing together, the Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:21 They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:27 The Lord and the weapons of his wrath to destroy the whole country.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 That's God speaking to Babylon.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:42 And the immediate result of God's judgment here is agonising helplessness, as we've all said in verse 6.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 It's sobering.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:49 Human greatness will come to nothing.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 Weapons, it says he, will fall from limp fingers.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:58 Nerves will flee from every heart.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:04 And it's in this moment that the bankruptcy of human pride is laid bare.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:16 And the impotence of all sources of security, hope and trust that we have built for ourselves will be gone.
00:14:16 --> 00:14:24 The flaming faces of verse 8 is shame.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:30 The shame of realising that my rejection of God has just been foolish.
00:14:30 --> 00:14:36 We will all be in the same boat, but we'll all sing it upon ourselves.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 The shame of rejecting God.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 The foolishness of it.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:47 And verses 9 to 18 is a devastating description of God's judgment.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 It is gut-wrenching.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:57 And so this should cause us to ask,
00:14:57 --> 00:15:04 what is it that we are trusting in to defend ourselves against Almighty God?
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 Nothing will stand.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:16 Verse 19 is really telling Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
00:15:17 --> 00:15:21 the pride and glory of the Babylonians,
00:15:22 --> 00:15:26 will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:30 You see, this is a message to Judah.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 Babylon's not hearing this.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 This is a message to Judah.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:39 And God's saying here, have a look at Babylon, Judah.
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 Look at it.
00:15:42 --> 00:15:44 The jewel of the kingdoms.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:50 And all Judah could see in that moment was the jewel of the kingdoms.
00:15:51 --> 00:15:54 This great city, the glory and the splendour of Babylon.
00:15:55 --> 00:16:00 The first city in human history to get beyond 200 inhabitants.
00:16:00 --> 00:16:08 The glorious city that had spectacularly throughout its history defied God and succeeded.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 God says it will fall.
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 Judah, it will fall.
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 Look to that hope and it will fall.
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 And it did.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 It fell.
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 It fell.
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 And as we're told, it will never be rebuilt again.
00:16:33 --> 00:16:46 In 1983, Saddam Hussein started to rebuild Babylon to again be a symbol of greatness in the world.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:54 He portrayed himself as the new Nebuchadnezzar, the new king of the Babylonian empire.
00:16:55 --> 00:17:01 He had his name inscribed on the bricks as Nebi before him did in the original Babylon.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:10 He had large portraits of himself put alongside King Nebuchadnezzar at the entrance of the rebuilt Babylon.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:23 And signs throughout the city declared, this was built by Saddam Hussein, son of Nebuchadnezzar, king of kings, to glorify Iraq.
00:17:23 --> 00:17:37 He ended up in a hole in the ground, running for his life.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:43 Defiant to the end, he is dead and God, gone.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:51 And the city that he was building for himself is still a ruins in the desert that you can visit today.
00:17:53 --> 00:18:05 And so here the prophecy of Isaiah, nearly 3 years before that,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:11 she will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:15 There no nomads will pitch their tents.
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 There no shepherds will rest their flocks.
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 But desert creatures will lie there.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 Jackals will fill her houses.
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 There the owls will dwell.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 And there the wild goats will leap about.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 Jackals, her luxurious palaces.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:38 Her time is at hand and her days will not be prolonged.
00:18:38 --> 00:18:48 You see, the message for Judah here as it gazes at great Babylon is very simple.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 Empires will come and go.
00:18:51 --> 00:18:54 Societies will rise and they will fall.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:59 Great companies and institutions will burst onto the scene and disappear.
00:18:59 --> 00:19:02 The rulers and kings will come and go.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:05 And you will live.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 And you will die.
00:19:08 --> 00:19:22 I am so grateful to God for his timely providence of preaching today on Isaiah 13 to 23
00:19:22 --> 00:19:26 and watching the coronation of King Charles III yesterday.
00:19:26 --> 00:19:36 He's here and one day he will go.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:41 The British Empire has risen and it will fall.
00:19:42 --> 00:19:48 The Church of England has risen and it, with all its pomp and ceremony yesterday,
00:19:48 --> 00:19:53 it too, unless it repents, will fall.
00:19:57 --> 00:20:02 The grand scope of God's purposes from creation to new creation will continue.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:07 Jesus sits on his throne alone.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:11 From everlasting to everlasting.
00:20:13 --> 00:20:16 So, why is this for Judah?
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 Why is Judah hearing this?
00:20:20 --> 00:20:24 Why is God revealing this to Isaiah for his people?
00:20:25 --> 00:20:30 Now, the first thing to say is that what Isaiah is not doing in these chapters,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:37 Isaiah is not a self-righteous moraliser standing on the edges of society,
00:20:37 --> 00:20:40 waving his finger at society going,
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 tut, tut, tut, tut, tut, tut.
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 You naughty people.
00:20:47 --> 00:20:51 As the Church has done in society.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 That's not what's happening here.
00:20:54 --> 00:20:59 Neither is Isaiah simply a social reformer.
00:20:59 --> 00:21:06 All these chapters consist of brutal oracles against the different nations of the world
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 for their pride and their rebellion.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:12 And Isaiah never went on a preaching tour to those nations.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 They never heard these oracles.
00:21:17 --> 00:21:21 Isaiah isn't taking the platform of the United Nations,
00:21:21 --> 00:21:24 decrying the behaviour of the foreign powers.
00:21:24 --> 00:21:30 These oracles are recorded for the people of God.
00:21:31 --> 00:21:34 Designed to build the faith of the people of God
00:21:34 --> 00:21:37 and to deal with their idolatry.
00:21:39 --> 00:21:42 It's about kicking idols and building faith.
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 That's what these chapters are about.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:52 The primary purpose is to teach God's people about God,
00:21:53 --> 00:21:58 about his absolute control over every nation of the world,
00:21:58 --> 00:22:01 about the perfection of his justice.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 They're designed for God's people to trust him,
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 to lean on him,
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 to cling to his word.
00:22:09 --> 00:22:15 You see, the main issue in the opening chapters of Isaiah
00:22:15 --> 00:22:18 is that Judah didn't trust in God.
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 They looked to other things for their security.
00:22:22 --> 00:22:24 And what is amazing about that
00:22:24 --> 00:22:27 is that we read in the early chapters
00:22:27 --> 00:22:29 that they had their religion.
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 They were doing their sacrifices.
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 They were going to church.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 They were doing their community groups.
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 They were reading their Bibles.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:40 So to speak.
00:22:45 --> 00:22:49 But God was not functionally the center of their life.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 They were looking to other nations
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 as their security in the end.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:59 As a nation, Judah desired to defend her borders
00:22:59 --> 00:23:00 against a foreign aggressor,
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 which is not a bad thing.
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 It's a good thing.
00:23:03 --> 00:23:08 The problem is that Judah, in that moment,
00:23:08 --> 00:23:10 decided to go with human wisdom
00:23:10 --> 00:23:13 and to trust in other nations for that security,
00:23:14 --> 00:23:16 rather than the God who had rescued them
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 from slavery in Egypt,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 who provided for them
00:23:20 --> 00:23:23 and had for well over 2 years of their history
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 protected them.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:30 And so God is demonstrating to Judah
00:23:30 --> 00:23:33 in these oracles,
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 the naivety
00:23:34 --> 00:23:36 and the futility
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 of trusting in human resources
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 and power and wisdom.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 You want to go to Babylon, Judah?
00:23:46 --> 00:23:49 It will soon be like Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:54 What about the Philistines?
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 What about Cush?
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 What about Egypt?
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 What about Moab?
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 No.
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 No.
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 No.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:05 And so what is happening in these chapters
00:24:05 --> 00:24:10 is that God takes his people on a journey
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 around the compass,
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 wherever Judah looked.
00:24:15 --> 00:24:19 She is seeing nations whose glory is fleeting
00:24:19 --> 00:24:21 and whose fate is sealed.
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 And there is nowhere
00:24:24 --> 00:24:27 that she can look for her security
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 but the Lord,
00:24:27 --> 00:24:30 the Lord who is the Lord of all the earth,
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 the ruler of nations,
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 the judge of humanity.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 In chapter 17,
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 Judah is told to look to Damascus.
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 Look at Damascus.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:45 This is their brothers to the north,
00:24:45 --> 00:24:47 the ten tribes of Israel to the north.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:52 Assyria destroyed those ten tribes of the north,
00:24:52 --> 00:24:56 sorry, destroyed Damascus in 732 BC.
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 Ten years later,
00:24:58 --> 00:25:00 it completely obliterated the nation.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:04 Look to Damascus.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 What was their problem?
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 What did they do?
00:25:07 --> 00:25:10 They foolishly aligned themselves with Syria
00:25:10 --> 00:25:14 in order to defeat the Assyrians.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:18 And they lost.
00:25:22 --> 00:25:26 But the real reason for her downfall
00:25:26 --> 00:25:29 was her long, long history of idolatry.
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 Long history of idolatry
00:25:32 --> 00:25:37 which eroded her single-minded commitment
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 to Yahweh,
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 to their God,
00:25:40 --> 00:25:43 and opened her up to the politics of convenience
00:25:43 --> 00:25:45 and worldly wisdom
00:25:45 --> 00:25:48 instead of trusting their God.
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 And so,
00:25:50 --> 00:25:52 in chapter 17,
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 verses 7 and 8,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:56 we have the pivotal passage of repentance.
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 In that day,
00:25:58 --> 00:26:00 people will look to their maker
00:26:00 --> 00:26:02 and turn their eyes
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 to the Holy One of Israel.
00:26:03 --> 00:26:06 They will not look to the altars,
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 the work of their hands.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:13 In other words,
00:26:14 --> 00:26:17 don't just look to God
00:26:17 --> 00:26:19 for your hope,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 but turn away
00:26:22 --> 00:26:24 from your false gods
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 at the same time.
00:26:25 --> 00:26:30 what we see here
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 is that God
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 has declared war
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 on idolatry.
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 It's in the New Testament
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 as well.
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 And it's particularly
00:26:48 --> 00:26:49 in the New Testament
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 that we see
00:26:50 --> 00:26:52 how God has declared war
00:26:52 --> 00:26:53 on our idolatry.
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 we are to look to our maker
00:26:57 --> 00:27:01 who on Mount Zion
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 took on the role
00:27:03 --> 00:27:05 of Babylon for us.
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 He took on our rebellion
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 and our sin
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 and became
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 the consummate enemy
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 of God.
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 The eternal
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 and glorious,
00:27:16 --> 00:27:18 the eternal
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 and glorious
00:27:19 --> 00:27:19 maker
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 and judge
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 of humanity
00:27:21 --> 00:27:23 experienced
00:27:23 --> 00:27:25 demise
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 for us.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:30 He experienced
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 shame
00:27:31 --> 00:27:33 for sin,
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 shame
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 for rebellion,
00:27:36 --> 00:27:36 shame
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 for our idolatry.
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 He experienced
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 death.
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 And yet
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 his resurrection
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 was a triumphant
00:27:45 --> 00:27:45 victory
00:27:45 --> 00:27:47 over all
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 the corrupt
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 political processes
00:27:49 --> 00:27:50 and the false
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 allegiances
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 that resulted
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 in his undeserved
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 death.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 The Jewish
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 nationalism,
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 the betrayal
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 of Judas
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 for 30 pieces
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 of silver,
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 the cruelty
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 of the Roman
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 cross
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 were all
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 expressions
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 of the Babylonian
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 principle
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 in this world.
00:28:08 --> 00:28:12 And on
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 Mount Zion
00:28:13 --> 00:28:15 as the nations
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 looked on
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 our maker
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 cried out
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 his last breath
00:28:18 --> 00:28:20 it
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 is
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 finished.
00:28:24 --> 00:28:26 And with
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 those words
00:28:27 --> 00:28:29 God's
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 enemies
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 can now
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 be his people
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 and find
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 refuge in him
00:28:33 --> 00:28:35 not fear
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 refuge
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 refuge.
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 And so
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 God is
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 inviting us
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 here
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 to
00:28:40 --> 00:28:42 look
00:28:42 --> 00:28:42 across
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 history
00:28:43 --> 00:28:45 see
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 how
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 empires
00:28:46 --> 00:28:46 have
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 fallen
00:28:47 --> 00:28:47 and
00:28:47 --> 00:28:48 realize
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 that
00:28:48 --> 00:28:48 they
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 are
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 all
00:28:49 --> 00:28:49 pointers
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 to
00:28:50 --> 00:28:50 a
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 great
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 and
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 even
00:28:52 --> 00:28:52 greater
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 and
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 more
00:28:53 --> 00:28:53 terrible
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 day
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 of
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 judgment
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 when
00:28:55 --> 00:28:55 we
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 will
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 give
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 an
00:28:56 --> 00:28:56 account
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 before
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 God.
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 That's
00:28:59 --> 00:28:59 what he's
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 doing
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 here
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 with
00:29:00 --> 00:29:00 Judah
00:29:00 --> 00:29:01 and
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 looking
00:29:01 --> 00:29:01 at
00:29:01 --> 00:29:02 Babylon
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 and
00:29:02 --> 00:29:02 these
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 nations.
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 We
00:29:03 --> 00:29:03 are
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 invited
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 to
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 read
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 the
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 writing
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 that's
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 on
00:29:06 --> 00:29:06 the
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 wall
00:29:07 --> 00:29:09 just
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 as
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 King
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 Belshazzar
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 did
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 as he
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 partied
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 carefree
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 on the
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 very night
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 the
00:29:16 --> 00:29:18 Babylonian
00:29:18 --> 00:29:18 empire
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 fell.
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 It
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 was
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 overrun
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 and
00:29:23 --> 00:29:23 the
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 writing
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 was
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 on
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 the
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 wall
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 and
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 we're
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 meant
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 to
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 read
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 the
00:29:26 --> 00:29:26 writing
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 that's
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 on
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 the
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 wall
00:29:27 --> 00:29:27 as
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 he
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 did
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 on
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 that
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 night.
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 It's
00:29:33 --> 00:29:33 written
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 right
00:29:34 --> 00:29:34 across
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 human
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 history
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 God
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 has
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 numbered
00:29:38 --> 00:29:38 our
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 days
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 we
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 have
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 been
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 weighed
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 on
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 the
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 scales
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 and
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 found
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 wanting.
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 How
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 are we
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 able to
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 stand
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 against
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 the
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 almighty?
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 The
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 only answer
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 is captured
00:29:56 --> 00:29:56 in the
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 Christian
00:29:57 --> 00:29:57 song
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 lyrics
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 dressed
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 in his
00:30:00 --> 00:30:00 righteousness
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 alone
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 faultless
00:30:02 --> 00:30:02 I
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 stand
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 before
00:30:03 --> 00:30:03 the
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 throne
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 on
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 Christ
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 the
00:30:05 --> 00:30:05 solid
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 rock
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 I
00:30:06 --> 00:30:06 stand
00:30:06 --> 00:30:08 all
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 other
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 ground
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 is
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 sinking
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 sand.
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 That's
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 the message
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 for
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 Judah.
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 That's
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 the message
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 for
00:30:16 --> 00:30:16 Judah.
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 So let's
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 just close
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 off and have
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 a look at
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 us for a
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 moment.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:27 this whole
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 chunk of
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 Isaiah
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 has the
00:30:29 --> 00:30:29 aim of
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 demolishing
00:30:30 --> 00:30:30 any
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 confidence
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 that we
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 might have
00:30:32 --> 00:30:32 in our
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 own
00:30:33 --> 00:30:33 resources
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 and human
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 wisdom
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 and human
00:30:35 --> 00:30:36 methods
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 and
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 ingenuity.
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 It's
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 designed
00:30:40 --> 00:30:40 to crush
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 our
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 idols
00:30:41 --> 00:30:43 and to
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 build
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 faith.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 Not
00:30:44 --> 00:30:44 just to
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 turn to
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 God
00:30:45 --> 00:30:45 in
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 faith
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 but it's
00:30:47 --> 00:30:47 designed
00:30:47 --> 00:30:48 to crush
00:30:48 --> 00:30:48 our
00:30:48 --> 00:30:49 idols
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 our
00:30:49 --> 00:30:49 other
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 alternative
00:30:50 --> 00:30:50 gods
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 that we
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 have
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 built
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 our
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 lives
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 on.
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 Now
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 idolatry
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 looks a
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 little bit
00:30:55 --> 00:30:55 different
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 for us
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 than it
00:30:57 --> 00:30:57 did for
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 Judah.
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 It might
00:31:00 --> 00:31:00 have
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 similar
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 roots
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 but
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 for
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 instance
00:31:04 --> 00:31:05 we
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 might
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 be
00:31:05 --> 00:31:05 looking
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 to
00:31:06 --> 00:31:06 other
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 nations
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 for
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 our
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 ultimate
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 security
00:31:08 --> 00:31:10 rather
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 than
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 God.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 That's
00:31:11 --> 00:31:11 possible.
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 But
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 there's a
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 word in
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 the New
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 Testament
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 that
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 means
00:31:16 --> 00:31:18 inordinate
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 desires
00:31:19 --> 00:31:21 and it's
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 strongly linked
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 to the
00:31:23 --> 00:31:23 idea of
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 Old
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 Testament
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 idolatry.
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 Every
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 single sin
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 that we
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 commit,
00:31:29 --> 00:31:29 every
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 thought,
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 every
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 action
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 that we
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 have
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 that's
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 a sin
00:31:33 --> 00:31:36 has a
00:31:36 --> 00:31:38 deeper
00:31:38 --> 00:31:38 source
00:31:38 --> 00:31:40 to that
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 action.
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 There's a
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 sin
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 that's
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 beneath
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 the
00:31:43 --> 00:31:43 sin
00:31:43 --> 00:31:48 and the
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 sin
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 that's
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 beneath
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 the
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 sin
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 is that
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 each
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 one of
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 us
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 has
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 idols
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 that
00:31:52 --> 00:31:52 we
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 trust
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 in
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 rather
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 than
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 Jesus
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 Christ
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 for
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 our
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 outstanding
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 with
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 God
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 and
00:31:57 --> 00:31:57 others.
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 Romans
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 1 tells
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 us
00:31:59 --> 00:32:00 that we
00:32:00 --> 00:32:00 create
00:32:00 --> 00:32:01 idols
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 because
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 we
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 want to
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 have
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 control
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 over
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 our
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 lives.
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 We
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 don't
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 want to
00:32:05 --> 00:32:05 trust
00:32:05 --> 00:32:06 God.
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 We
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 want to
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 control
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 our
00:32:06 --> 00:32:07 lives
00:32:07 --> 00:32:07 ourselves.
00:32:08 --> 00:32:08 Galatians
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 4 tells
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 us
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 idolatry
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 is linked
00:32:10 --> 00:32:10 to our
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 self
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 salvation.
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 1
00:32:13 --> 00:32:13 John
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 5 tells
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 us
00:32:14 --> 00:32:44 the
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 idolatry
00:32:45 --> 00:32:48 is taking
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 good
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 things
00:32:50 --> 00:32:51 and
00:32:51 --> 00:32:51 making
00:32:51 --> 00:32:51 them
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 ultimate
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 things.
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 They
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 are
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 things
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 that we
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 really
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 get our
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 sense
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 of
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 worth,
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 our
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 value,
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 our
00:33:00 --> 00:33:00 security.
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 As
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 soon
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 as our
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 loyalty
00:33:07 --> 00:33:07 to
00:33:07 --> 00:33:08 anything
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 leads
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 us to
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 push
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 God
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 to
00:33:09 --> 00:33:09 one
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 side,
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 his
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 word
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 to
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 one
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 side,
00:33:12 --> 00:33:15 idolatry.
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 It can
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 be a
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 physical
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 object,
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 it could
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 be a
00:33:21 --> 00:33:21 property,
00:33:22 --> 00:33:22 it could
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 be a
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 person,
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 it could
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 be an
00:33:24 --> 00:33:24 activity,
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 it could
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 be a
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 role,
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 it could
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 be an
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 institution,
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 it could
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 be a
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 hope,
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 it could
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 be an
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 image,
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 it could
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 be a
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 pleasure,
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 it could
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 be a
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 hero,
00:33:30 --> 00:33:30 it could
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 even
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 be
00:33:32 --> 00:33:36 a
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 theology.
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 idolatry.
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 And so
00:33:45 --> 00:33:45 there's a
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 whole range
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 of them
00:33:46 --> 00:33:48 and they're
00:33:48 --> 00:33:48 all different
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 for all
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 of us.
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 We can
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 have a
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 power
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 idolatry,
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 an
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 approval
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 idolatry,
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 a comfort
00:33:55 --> 00:33:55 idolatry,
00:33:56 --> 00:33:57 a giftedness
00:33:57 --> 00:33:57 idolatry,
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 a control
00:33:58 --> 00:33:58 idolatry,
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 a helping
00:33:59 --> 00:33:59 idolatry,
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 a dependence
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 idolatry,
00:34:01 --> 00:34:02 an independence
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 idolatry,
00:34:03 --> 00:34:03 a work
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 idolatry,
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 an achievement
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 idolatry,
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 a materialism
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 idolatry,
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 a religion
00:34:08 --> 00:34:08 idolatry,
00:34:08 --> 00:34:09 an irreligion
00:34:09 --> 00:34:10 idolatry,
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 a cultural
00:34:11 --> 00:34:11 idolatry,
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 a family
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 idolatry,
00:34:13 --> 00:34:13 a relationship
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 idolatry,
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 a suffering
00:34:15 --> 00:34:15 idolatry,
00:34:16 --> 00:34:16 an image
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 idolatry,
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 an ideology
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 idolatry,
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 and on the
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 list goes
00:34:21 --> 00:34:21 and goes
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 and goes.
00:34:26 --> 00:34:27 And these
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 oracles
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 are designed
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 to pull the
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 rug out
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 from all
00:34:32 --> 00:34:32 of them
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 and to
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 show us
00:34:34 --> 00:34:34 their
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 powerlessness
00:34:35 --> 00:34:37 because
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 everything
00:34:38 --> 00:34:39 you put
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 at the
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 center of
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 your heart,
00:34:40 --> 00:34:42 the center
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 of your
00:34:42 --> 00:34:42 life.
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 If it's
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 not your
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 maker,
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 it will
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 control you.
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 It will
00:34:47 --> 00:34:47 cause you
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 to work
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 for it.
00:34:49 --> 00:34:49 It will
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 cause you
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 to give
00:34:51 --> 00:34:52 yourself
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 to it.
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 Only
00:34:58 --> 00:34:58 Jesus
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 Christ,
00:35:00 --> 00:35:02 our true
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 maker,
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 our true
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 sovereign,
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 our true
00:35:05 --> 00:35:05 savior,
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 gives
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 himself to
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 us to set
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 us free.
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 These
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 chapters
00:35:17 --> 00:35:17 here are
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 designed to
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 expose our
00:35:19 --> 00:35:21 own idols
00:35:21 --> 00:35:22 for the
00:35:22 --> 00:35:22 powerless
00:35:22 --> 00:35:23 jokes that
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 they are.
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33 If you're
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 not convinced
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 of that,
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 I would
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 invite you
00:35:37 --> 00:35:37 in this
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 week to
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 visit two
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 places,
00:35:39 --> 00:35:41 the rubbish
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 tip and
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 the cemetery.
00:35:46 --> 00:35:47 There you
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 will discover
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 the end
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 of all
00:35:50 --> 00:35:52 life and
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 the end
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 of all
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 things.
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 The rubbish
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 tip and the
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 cemetery.
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 The
00:35:58 --> 00:35:58 cemetery.
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 future.
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 The
00:36:00 --> 00:36:00 future.
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 The
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 future.
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 The
00:36:02 --> 00:36:02 future.
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 The
00:36:03 --> 00:36:03 future.
00:36:03 --> 00:36:06 The
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 future.
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 The future.
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 Judah
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 looked to
00:36:10 --> 00:36:10 the nations.
00:36:12 --> 00:36:12 What are
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 you looking
00:36:13 --> 00:36:13 to?
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 What are
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 you looking
00:36:17 --> 00:36:17 to?
00:36:17 --> 00:36:20 I'm going
00:36:20 --> 00:36:20 to do
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 what I
00:36:21 --> 00:36:21 did last
00:36:21 --> 00:36:21 week.
00:36:21 --> 00:36:22 Close
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 off our
00:36:22 --> 00:36:22 time together.
00:36:22 --> 00:36:23 I'm going
00:36:23 --> 00:36:23 to invite
00:36:23 --> 00:36:23 you to
00:36:23 --> 00:36:23 bow your
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 heads.
00:36:25 --> 00:36:26 Put your
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 hands out.
00:36:29 --> 00:36:29 I'm going
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 to ask you
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 some questions
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 that might
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 just get
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 the start
00:36:33 --> 00:36:33 of the ball
00:36:33 --> 00:36:33 rolling for
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 you and
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34 then I'm
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34 going to
00:36:34 --> 00:36:35 pray for
00:36:35 --> 00:36:35 us.
00:36:35 --> 00:36:43 Let me pray
00:36:43 --> 00:36:43 to start
00:36:43 --> 00:36:44 with.
00:36:44 --> 00:36:46 Jesus
00:36:46 --> 00:36:50 help us
00:36:50 --> 00:36:50 to see
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 you.
00:36:53 --> 00:36:53 Help us
00:36:53 --> 00:36:55 to love
00:36:55 --> 00:36:56 you.
00:36:57 --> 00:36:57 Help us
00:36:57 --> 00:36:59 to obey
00:36:59 --> 00:36:59 you.
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 And in
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 doing that
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 help us
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 to see
00:37:03 --> 00:37:05 the idols
00:37:05 --> 00:37:05 of our
00:37:05 --> 00:37:06 heart that
00:37:06 --> 00:37:07 displace you
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 from the
00:37:08 --> 00:37:08 center of
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 our hearts.
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 And so I
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 ask you
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 what is
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 your
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 greatest
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 nightmare?
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 What is
00:37:23 --> 00:37:23 it that you
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 worry about
00:37:24 --> 00:37:25 the most?
00:37:28 --> 00:37:28 What
00:37:28 --> 00:37:29 brings
00:37:29 --> 00:37:32 out of
00:37:32 --> 00:37:32 me the
00:37:32 --> 00:37:32 strongest
00:37:32 --> 00:37:33 emotions?
00:37:36 --> 00:37:37 What do
00:37:37 --> 00:37:38 I rely
00:37:38 --> 00:37:40 on or
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 comfort
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 myself with
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 when things
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 go badly
00:37:43 --> 00:37:43 or become
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 difficult?
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 What makes
00:37:49 --> 00:37:49 me feel
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 the most
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 self-worth?
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 What am
00:37:55 --> 00:37:55 I the
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 proudest
00:37:56 --> 00:37:56 of?
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 What do
00:38:01 --> 00:38:01 I need,
00:38:02 --> 00:38:02 I mean
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 really need
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 other people
00:38:04 --> 00:38:05 to see
00:38:05 --> 00:38:05 in me?
00:38:09 --> 00:38:10 What do
00:38:10 --> 00:38:10 I really
00:38:10 --> 00:38:11 want and
00:38:11 --> 00:38:12 expect out
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 of life?
00:38:13 --> 00:38:16 what would
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 really
00:38:16 --> 00:38:18 make me
00:38:18 --> 00:38:18 happy?
00:38:24 --> 00:38:25 I wonder
00:38:25 --> 00:38:25 if the
00:38:25 --> 00:38:27 way we
00:38:27 --> 00:38:28 answer those
00:38:28 --> 00:38:28 questions
00:38:28 --> 00:38:30 expose the
00:38:30 --> 00:38:30 heart that
00:38:30 --> 00:38:31 would defy
00:38:31 --> 00:38:32 God if it
00:38:32 --> 00:38:32 had to.
00:38:32 --> 00:38:36 gracious God
00:38:36 --> 00:38:37 we confess
00:38:37 --> 00:38:38 that we
00:38:38 --> 00:38:38 have built
00:38:38 --> 00:38:39 our hearts
00:38:39 --> 00:38:39 and our
00:38:39 --> 00:38:40 lives around
00:38:40 --> 00:38:40 things that
00:38:40 --> 00:38:41 are good
00:38:41 --> 00:38:42 but not
00:38:42 --> 00:38:43 the best
00:38:43 --> 00:38:45 and so we
00:38:45 --> 00:38:46 confess our
00:38:46 --> 00:38:46 idolatry.
00:38:47 --> 00:38:48 We have
00:38:48 --> 00:38:49 made these
00:38:49 --> 00:38:50 things
00:38:50 --> 00:38:51 absolutes
00:38:51 --> 00:38:52 things that
00:38:52 --> 00:38:53 love us.
00:38:53 --> 00:38:53 And what
00:38:53 --> 00:38:53 are they
00:38:53 --> 00:38:54 compared to
00:38:54 --> 00:38:54 you?
00:38:55 --> 00:38:56 If we
00:38:56 --> 00:38:57 have you
00:38:57 --> 00:38:58 we don't
00:38:58 --> 00:38:58 have to
00:38:58 --> 00:38:59 have these
00:38:59 --> 00:38:59 other
00:38:59 --> 00:39:00 things.
00:39:01 --> 00:39:02 These
00:39:02 --> 00:39:03 idols
00:39:03 --> 00:39:03 cannot love
00:39:03 --> 00:39:04 us,
00:39:05 --> 00:39:06 help us,
00:39:07 --> 00:39:08 give us
00:39:08 --> 00:39:08 hope or
00:39:08 --> 00:39:09 significance or
00:39:09 --> 00:39:10 save us as
00:39:10 --> 00:39:11 you do.
00:39:11 --> 00:39:16 and so
00:39:16 --> 00:39:18 we ask
00:39:18 --> 00:39:18 that you
00:39:18 --> 00:39:18 would please
00:39:18 --> 00:39:19 forgive us.
00:39:23 --> 00:39:23 Please
00:39:23 --> 00:39:24 forgive us
00:39:24 --> 00:39:25 for trampling
00:39:25 --> 00:39:25 on your
00:39:25 --> 00:39:25 love for
00:39:25 --> 00:39:26 us.
00:39:28 --> 00:39:29 Please
00:39:29 --> 00:39:29 forgive us
00:39:29 --> 00:39:29 for our
00:39:29 --> 00:39:30 lack of
00:39:30 --> 00:39:30 gratitude,
00:39:33 --> 00:39:33 our lack
00:39:33 --> 00:39:34 of grateful
00:39:34 --> 00:39:34 joy for
00:39:34 --> 00:39:35 all that
00:39:35 --> 00:39:35 you've done
00:39:35 --> 00:39:36 for us.
00:39:40 --> 00:39:40 As
00:39:40 --> 00:39:41 hard as
00:39:41 --> 00:39:42 it is,
00:39:42 --> 00:39:42 we desire
00:39:42 --> 00:39:43 to push
00:39:43 --> 00:39:43 these idols
00:39:43 --> 00:39:44 out from
00:39:44 --> 00:39:44 the centre
00:39:44 --> 00:39:45 of our
00:39:45 --> 00:39:45 lives.
00:39:47 --> 00:39:47 They are
00:39:47 --> 00:39:48 repulsive
00:39:48 --> 00:39:49 to you
00:39:49 --> 00:39:50 and will
00:39:50 --> 00:39:50 only lead
00:39:50 --> 00:39:51 to our
00:39:51 --> 00:39:51 ruin.
00:39:54 --> 00:39:54 And so
00:39:54 --> 00:39:54 help each
00:39:54 --> 00:39:55 one of us
00:39:55 --> 00:39:55 to see
00:39:55 --> 00:39:56 them clearly,
00:39:57 --> 00:39:58 to weigh
00:39:58 --> 00:39:59 them against
00:39:59 --> 00:39:59 all of your
00:39:59 --> 00:40:01 goodness and
00:40:01 --> 00:40:02 to expel
00:40:02 --> 00:40:02 them from
00:40:02 --> 00:40:02 the centre
00:40:02 --> 00:40:03 of our
00:40:03 --> 00:40:03 lives by
00:40:03 --> 00:40:04 your grace.
00:40:06 --> 00:40:06 Replace
00:40:06 --> 00:40:07 them with
00:40:07 --> 00:40:07 your gospel
00:40:07 --> 00:40:09 by your
00:40:09 --> 00:40:10 spirit for
00:40:10 --> 00:40:11 your glory
00:40:11 --> 00:40:12 and our
00:40:12 --> 00:40:12 joy.
00:40:13 --> 00:40:13 Amen.
00:40:13 --> 00:40:13 Amen.