It's Time For Christmas Mountain!

NIV Isaiah 2:1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 5 Come, O house of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Introduction: Each Christmas my family tyravels to Christmas Mountain – Wisconsin Dells, WI. During the summer when you travel through Wisconsin Dells you won’t notice Christmas Mt. It’s just a normal looking hill not any taller or prettier than the other hills around it. But at just the right time in December, during a cold evening with flurries of snow in the air, Christmas Mt. lives up to its name. A 40 ft tree at the peak of Christmas Mt. shines with colorful lights, drawing your gaze and your person to the top. No matter how cold or windy the night air might be, it doesn’t deter you from reaching the top and skiing down Christmas Mt. At the bottom of Christmas Mt., lies the warm lodge, where you can sip your hot chocolate, watching the skiers, and gazing at the colorful lights on Christmas Mt. Sounds like a great place to be doesn’t it? It does because that’s how I told you about it. You see I enjoyed every trip we took to Christmas Mt. Even when I was sick, I still liked the time I spent at Christmas Mt. Our text for today is a vision the prophet Isaiah received about the future church of God. The time for waiting is over. Christmas is here. The glorious future of God’s church is now. “It’s time for Christmas Mt.” part 1 See the Word of the Lord go out! part 2 See the world come in!

Part 1)See the Word of the Lord Go Out!

Isaiah, the prophet of God, lived in a terrible time for God’s church. God’s plan was to bring his people into the land of Palestine, to establish the city of Jerusalem as their capitol and erect a kingdom from which in time the true King, the promised Savior would come. This King was to accomplish the great mission of His life in Jerusalem, where he would be crucified and buried and would rise from the dead. During the days of Isaiah, probably the 7th century BC, some 700 years before Jesus Christ our King was born, the people of God turned away from him and went to false Gods for help. Their King Ahaz, even went to the King of Assyria, Shalmenezer, for help instead of God. Because of their sins, God handed his people over to their enemies, who occupied their territory, worshipped idols in their temple and carried off their women and children into captivity. The nation of Israel, God’s people, were scattered, conquered and hopeless.

In this setting of gloom, Isaiah, the prophet receives a vision. Sometimes God would speak directly to his prophets, or give them a dream. Isaiah received a special spiritual dream where God talked to him directly, showing him these striking and exciting words: “ In the last days… chief among the mountains, raised above the hills, all nations will stream to it.”

The first question we need to ask & answer is when would this vision come true. The promises of God are sure to be fulfilled, whether the present nation of Israel would believe it or not. If there is anything that is sure, it is that Zion, the temple mount will one day be exalted; because God said it and told his people it would happen.

God told his people that His church the mountain fo he temple of the Lord would be established and raised above all other mountains in the world – In the last days.

In the Hebrew language, when they talked about their present time; they used the phrase the days. When they talked about the last days, they were referring to the time when their promised King would come and rule perfectly over their nation, rescuing them from their enemies and restoring peace between nations and between God and man. The last days were to begin when the messiah was born.