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.
“The last days” is the New Testament time that began with the first Christmas and will come to a close with Christ’s return on the “very” last day – judgment day. Look at what the writer to the Hebrews ,and Jesus himself relates to us:
NIV Hebrews 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.
NIV Matthew 25:31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
Ok so what’s all this talk about the temple of the mountain of the Lord being established and raised above all the mountains then? Isaiah reveled a glorious future for God’s church. The mountain of the Lord’s temple was perhaps the most notable sight in all Jerusalem during the reign of King Solomon, whose name reminds us of the Hebrew word shalom which means peace. The gleaming temple of gold built by David’s Son, stood on a mountaintop called Zion for about 400 years. The temple was the spiritual center of Israel and the goal of the nation’s annual pilgrimage. Mysteriously and graciously the Lord himself was present in the “most Holy Place” behind a curtain. But because of sin the temple was ransacked and destroyed. Because of sin the temple was leveled and never returned to its glory. Sin destroyed the temple of the mountain of the Lord. The broken relationship between God and his church was seen in the destroyed temple of the mountain of the Lord.
As God revealed this revelation to Israel, it must have been beyond belief. God foretells a time in the last days when His temple Mountain will be the greatest permanent fixture in the world, raised above all other temple Mountains; the greatest mountain in the world. Shoot, Mt Zion in Jerusalem isn’t even the biggest hill in Palestine, let alone the world. But Jesus explained what God was hinting at here, when he as talking with the Samaritan woman at the well:
NIV John 4:21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God is not talking about a physical mountain or temple. Wherever the truth of the gospel is proclaimed there you have the mountain of the Lord. The church is the New Testament place – the Lord’s temple – where the Lord is present. “Jesus told us “Where 2 or 3 come together in my name there I am with them (matt 18:20.) Wherever the message of the crucified and risen Savior is proclaimed and His means of grace are used according to his directions, there God is present with his love and blessings. This vision, you see, is fulfilled right before our eyes! The time is now! The last days have begun! Christmas Mountain is here and ready.
God has established his church as the greatest of all religions. Christianity, the one religion led by the Savior, will not go away. It is immovable and permanent. It is the one religion above all religions that overcomes death, the devil and grants eternal life. Just as Jesus our King promised, ‘Take heart, I have overcome the world.” The first Christmas began the fight to establish God’s church as the only church that could bring man and God to settle their differences. The Son of God came to establish peace between God and man. Remember what the message of the Angels was to the shepherds, “NIV Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
From its very inception the glorious church of God was all about the Word. Remember what the Shepherds then said to each other: “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has told us about!” So they ran and found it just as they had been told. The Shepherds reaction then was one of sharing the Word,
“NIV Luke 2:17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
I can’t help but compare the shepherds at the beginning of the NT Church of God with verse 3 of Isaiah’s vision of the NT church of God,
“Many peoples will say, “Come, let us go 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.”
Just as God foretold, he built his church on the Word: the message of the gospel. Good thing too because it is the power of God for the Salvation of everyone who believes. What makes the church of God so wonderful? What makes the mountain of the Lord so much better than the other mountains of religion, Capitol hills of government and towering buildings of power and finances? The gospel message about Jesus Christ who brings peace to the sinner, who brings forgiveness to the convicted, who brings healing to the hurting and life to the dead! You and I have come to this mountain of the Lord, the writer to the Hebrews states it like this,
“NIV Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
The apostle Peter calls us living stones in the temple of God:
NIV 1 Peter 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
AS the church of God, great and glorious above all other “mountains” in the world – all religions, philosophies, ways of life or achievements to which people turn to for help, we have a unique responsibility. The mountain of the Lord’s temple is the source of the one true knowledge of salvation. The mission of our church is evangelism; but is at its core a mission ofg teaching. Ignorance is damming; not an excuse when it comes to salvation. Evangelism is the daily life of the church. Proclaiming God’s gloryt and thus inviting all to receive his salvation is to be the distinguishing mark of God’s people. AS we share the gospel we really invite people to come and learn the ways of the Lord.
Part 2) See the world coming in
Christ’;s church has a unique position of being the source of the true knowledge of salvation. As the church carries out its mission of provclaiming the gospel and using the sacraments, it will be successful, “All natiomns will stream to it!” The prophet elsewhere rejoices as he sees success of God’s Kingdom in the last days: : NIV Isaiah 60:3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm.
The apsotl john received an exciting viosn of the NT church gospel mission and its success in NIV Revelation 14:6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-- to every nation, tribe, language and people.
NIV Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
Look at the success the church can expect, ‘many peoples! Wherever the church worships God in spriti and truth proclaiming the gospel, there the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established by hij for all to see and to enter. Wherever God build it, they will come! Drawn by Jesus himself they will! “Remember these words of Jesus while he lived on this eath, “When I am lifted up I will draw all men to myself.”
The results of this proclamation of the gospel will be great in numbers but also in the lives of the God’s people! NIV Isaiah 2:4 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.
These verse are not talking bout the nations of the world in general or of people politically or nationally. With respect to universal peace and the stoppage of all wars among nations, Christ has the definitive answer to us: ‘nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (Matt 24:7).” These nations are the same nations that came like a raging flood to the mountain of the Lord in v2-3. These are the nations of believers! These are the people that have faith in God and are sitting at his feet learning His Ways! This worship and learning from God’s Word has an earthly affect!
How do you settle your differences? In the world, differences are settled by war, fighting, money, a cold shoulder, a lawsuit, a jury, lawyers. What is your standard for judging between right or wrong? How do you settle your differences atr work, in your family in your congregation? In the church of God we settle our differences by God’s Word. God’s Word judges between people and settles disputes. His Word alone is the standard for right and wrong. God’s Word is the standard of right belief and moral behavior. As we God’s people who trust in him, learn his Word, our lives increasingly reflect his Will
Peace is the umbrella that describes the lives of the believers and members of the Mountain of the Lord. Peace is what Christ founded his great church on you know from that first Christmas! When Jesus ascended into heaven he reminded his disciples of the peace he brought them, “Peace be with you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.” God’s people are to be characterized by peace within and without. With the barrier of sin broken down between God and man, the barrier between those who have come to know that grace are broken down as well. Confession and forgivenss will be the conversation of God’s people.
It’s time for Christmas Mountain! Christmas is here. In celebrating Christmas this year, I am reminded of the great blessings I have been given by God. Through the Christmas message of Christ’s birth, I have been brought to God’s Christmas Mountain. We all have been brought to see the glory and beauty of Christmas Mountain. We have peace with God. AS you celebrate this Christmas season, may you remember the glory you share in God’s Church. See the Word going out and See the World coming in!
The peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
