We've been seeing that Isaiah's vision of the new creation includes where we are right now. Isaiah speaks of the new heavens and the new earth as a place where people are born - where people die -65-20-. John, in the book of Revelation, will make clear that in the final new creation there is no death - and Jesus affirms that there is no marriage in the final new creation---But at the same time, Paul affirms that if anyone is in Christ, he participates in a new creation.--The New Creation has begun in the ascension of Jesus to the Right Hand of the Father. The New Creation has dawned in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. That's the -already- of the new creation in Jesus.--The -not yet- is what is still to come - and in between the already and the not yet, we are building - we are enriching and improving - that new creation...

Michiana Covenant Presbyterian Church

The New Creation, part 2: The Birth of a Nation (Isa. 66)

-Sung Psalm- 64---The central point of the Ninth Commandment has to do with the law court.--When you stand before the judge, you must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.--But the ninth commandment has a far broader application than the legal system. Just like -you shall not kill- is about how you handle anger - because murder is about striking back at God- so also the ninth commandment -as all the commandments- has to do with what kind of person you are. Are you a person characterized by -the truth----We all like to think so. I used to think that I was a -straight shooter- - that I would just tell it the way I saw it----But I'm not. I tend to think an awful lot - and sometimes too much - about how the other person will hear what I am about to say. In one sense, it's a good trait- It is good to be sensitive to how others will hear you---But sometimes it gets in the way of the truth. Sometimes I wind up trying to out-think the Holy Spirit - and that never ends well...

You Shall Not Bear False Witness

The creation of a New Jerusalem, the city of the living God. This is the heart of Isaiah's message to Israel and Judah.--Exile is coming. And after the Exile, even the Restoration is not going to bring about a fundamental change.--Only when my Singular Servant comes to suffer, only when the Anointed One arises to conquer, only then will I establish a new creation. Only then will I change the hearts of my servants so that they might seek me as I desire.- -But first we start with God's readiness to save the Gentiles...

The New Creation (Isa. 65)

-Sung Psalm- 15---The Eighth Commandment is, You shall not steal.--And when one thing is forbidden, its opposite is commanded. What is the opposite of stealing- ---Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.---Paul says that there are two parts- labor - working honestly - and giving to those in need...

You Shall Not Steal

Having heard of the promise of the coming of the Anointed Conqueror, the righteous remnant now lift up their prayers in response to God's promise.--We are drawing to the end of Isaiah's prophecy. The message of salvation has been announced. Now he gives the faithful a model for their prayers as they await the coming of that day. And as such, it is useful for us. Because while we live on the other side of the coming of the Christ, we still anticipate his return and the final consummation of his kingdom...

The Prayer of the Remnant – Our Prayer (Isa. 63:7-64:12

-Sung Psalm- 45---God's commands are not burdensome. Jesus calls us to take his yoke upon us - for his yoke is easy and his burden is light. When we walk willingly in God's ways, then we find out how easy it is- But when we grumble and rebel - then we find out how heavy and burdensome disobedience can be---God's law is not a straitjacket to bind you, but the path of true freedom and contentment.--The seventh commandment is an excellent example of this. The sexual revolution promised freedom and happiness to all. All manner of sexual sins-from adultery to homosexuality to fornication - have been encouraged and rewarded.--But what has it produced- The self-indulgent quest for pleasure invariably reaps a harvest of pain and anguish. Divorce rates have skyrocketed. Sexually transmitted diseases have brought both fear and death. Unwanted pregnancies have resulted in a meteoric rise in the abortion rate as well. In order to hide from the consequences of breaking the seventh commandment, people frequently break the sixth commandment as well, murdering the unborn, hoping to escape from the consequences of their sins.--Sin produces fear, misery, and death.

You Shall Not Commit Adultery

In Isaiah 59, we heard of the Anointed Conqueror - when God himself comes to do what Israel has failed to do---Now in chapter 61, we hear again of the Anointed Conqueror who is given the Word and Spirit of God. -Cf Is 59----The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me because Yahweh has anointed me to bring good news to the poor---Isaiah 60-15-22 spoke of how Zion's sorrows would be replaced with joy. Now we hear that it is the Anointed Conqueror who will do this. His dual ministry of vengeance and comfort fits nicely with Isaiah 59 as well...

The Year of the LORD's Favor (Isa. 61:1-63:6)

-Sung Psalm- 10---We saw last time that every interpersonal sin is a violation of the fifth commandment - because every interpersonal sin is a failure to honor another person rightly.--Over the next few weeks we'll be looking at how to love and honor one another. The command to love one another is explicated in the Ten Commandments especially in commandments 5-9--- honor your father and your mother,- you shall not kill,- you shall not commit adultery,- you shall not steal,- you shall not bear false witness.--There is a way in which these commands are structured in order of magnitude.- Murder deprives you of life.- Adultery deprives you of wife -or husband-.- Theft deprives you of goods.- False witness deprives you of your good name.--So today we come to the sixth commandment...

You Shall Not Kill

Isaiah 60 contains two imperatives-both of which come at the beginning of the chapter---Arise -v1--and lift up your eyes -v4---Stand up and see what God is going to do-

Glory and Beauty (Isai, 60)

-Sung Psalm- 128---We saw last time that Moses applies the fifth commandment to judges, kings, and elders - in other words, both to religious and political authorities.--And we saw from Paul in Ephesians 5-6, we ought to have a general disposition towards submission. Our basic inclination should be obedience to those who are over us - and self-denying concern for those under our care.--Pretty obviously that is not the picture in Judges 17-18---To use the words of Judges, -In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes....-

In Those Days There Was No King in Israel

-A Redeemer will come to Zion - to those in Jacob who turn from transgression, declares the LORD.---There you have the five characters in our story- We have often seen that there is a masculine singular character - who is now identified as the Redeemer. There is a feminine singular - Zion - the city of God. There is the masculine plural - those who turn from transgression. And there is Jacob - -Israel, my servant- - the servant of the LORD who fell short.--And - of course - there is the LORD...

The Coming of the LORD (Isa. 59)

-Sung Psalm- 84---We've seen in this series that Deuteronomy 6-26 follows the general order of the Ten Commandments. And so - not surprisingly - after the section on the fourth commandment applied the Sabbath principle to the feasts and the sabbatical year, in chapters 17-18 Moses applies the fifth commandment to all superiors.--It's worth noting that Moses does not promise that the judges and priests will always be right. Sometimes they will get it wrong - but if everyone does what it right in his own eyes, then chaos will ensue---Sometimes you just have to submit to those in authority - not because they are right, but because they are those whom God has placed in authority over you-

Who Is My Father?

Tonight we look at God's criticism of the religious practices of the house of Jacob. The special focus is on fasting and Sabbath-keeping. Fasting and Sabbath-keeping were proper expressions of true piety, but only when used in faith...

The Eschatological Sabbath, Part 2 (Isa. 58)

-Sung Psalm- 92---There has never been a time when no one had to work on Sunday. But as we head further into our post-Christian culture, we are seeing more disregard for those who take the fourth commandment seriously...

A Holy Sabbath: Superiors and Inferiors

Having promised the return from Exile, Isaiah deals with the problem that will follow from the Restoration. Israel - even the righteous remnant - does not have the strength to overcome their enemies. The Restoration is not going to change the basic character of the Exiles.--Therefore Isaiah promises that a Messiah will come - an anointed one - through whom God will establish his kingdom. If Isaiah 1-37 is the Book of the King, and Isaiah 38-55 is the Book of the Servant, then Isaiah 56-66 is the Book of the Messiah, the anointed conqueror who will bring salvation to his people and vengeance to his enemies.--And the Sabbath functions as one of the central themes of this section. Isaiah 56 opens with a blessing upon Sabbath-keepers, and chapter 58 concludes with a call to delight in the Sabbath.--Chapter 61, at the center of the book, proclaims the Jubilee-the year of the Lord's favor - --the ultimate Sabbath year, according to Leviticus 25-.--And chapter 63 speaks again of the -year of redemption,- before the whole section concludes in chapter 66-18-24 with the glory of the eschatological Sabbath...

The Eschatological Sabbath (Isa. 56-57)

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