›Isaiah 25

›How Great the Salvation

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1 O LORD, you are my God;

I will exalt you; I will praise your name,

for you have done wonderful things,

plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

2  For you have made the city a heap,

the fortified city a ruin;

the foreigners’ palace is a city no more;

it will never be rebuilt.

3  Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;

cities of ruthless nations will fear you.

4  For you have been a stronghold to the poor,

a stronghold to the needy in his distress,

a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat;

for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall,

5  like heat in a dry place.

You subdue the noise of the foreigners;

as heat by the shade of a cloud,

so the song of the ruthless is put down.

(Isaiah 25:1-5, ESV)

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6  On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples

a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,

of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.

7  And he will swallow up on this mountain

the covering that is cast over all peoples,

the veil that is spread over all nations.

8  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,

for the LORD has spoken.

(Isaiah 25:6-8, ESV)

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9  It will be said on that day,

“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.

This is the LORD; we have waited for him;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”

10  For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain,

and Moab shall be trampled down in his place,

as straw is trampled down in a dunghill.

11  And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it

as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim,

but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands.

12  And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down,

lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust.

(Isaiah 25:9-12, ESV)

›Main Point

› These verses describe the joy which will come for those who have placed their faith in God

› God will be victorious over the nations, indeed death itself

› Those who have faith in God will rejoice

› Those who continue in pride will be crushed

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Application Points

› How Great the Salvation

– Isaiah continues to show what it means to have faith in God

– While the world claims faith in its ways leads to a better society…Isaiah has shown it leads to sorrow

– By looking at the society and seeing its ills it can be overwhelming

– It can be hard to be a prophet

– God does not leave His prophets without hope

– God provides Himself

– It is the knowledge of God which gives the prophet strength to be able to take one step in front of the other

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Application Points

› How Great the Salvation (2)

– That Yahweh, the God of Israel, is Isaiah’s God

– It is because Isaiah knows God that He can praise and adulate His name

– The knowledge of God, the experience we have with God, cannot be understated

– If God had not provided information which we could attain when it comes to Himself then we would have no purpose

– Instead, we have true experiences with God and attain true knowledge of Him

– He has accomplished great things in this world

– Isaiah shows us the definition of Biblical faith

– Contrast this with faith today which leaps blindly

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Application Points

› How Great the Salvation (3)

– The Biblical faith of the ancients…was not blind

– They were able to follow Him because they experienced Him

– When Isaiah proclaims…He can have assurance

– He has conviction because God had already done so much

– This passage even today has been fulfilled in part

– The great enemy of humanity is death

– Death occurs because of sinfulness

– We find in this passage that God will swallow death

– Human sinfulness God destroys first

– God conquers both the city (human wickedness) and the results of living in that city (death)

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Application Points

› How Great the Salvation (4)

– We know the Word of the Lord is sure

– Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and buried

– Then on the third day He arose

– Jesus lives and will live forever

– Paul discusses this very thing in I Corinthians 15

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20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

(I Corinthians 15:12-26, ESV)

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Application Points

› How Great the Salvation (5)

– We live in this reality…Christ is risen, death is undone

– We have the same assurance as Isaiah when he says, “for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.”

– If that is the case then we must also take into consideration the reality of the fallen city

– Those who continue to trust in their own assurances will find them cast asunder

– The world is a dark place

– The world is worthy of judgment from God

– We see it in our own society even now

– It is no wonder, then, that the result of judgment is not mourning but rejoicing

– When we consider the darkness of the world it should cause us to desire righteousness and justice

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Application Points

› How Great the Salvation (6)

– Isaiah presents us with two realities

– The first is the knowledge of God

– We do and will taste, see, and know our God is good

– He is and will be our comfort, shelter, portion, and deliverer

– The second is in the knowledge that He is the destroyer of all evils

– God will not allow evil to win forever

– His justice will be unveiled

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Application Points

› How Great the Salvation (7)

– This world is a dark world

– But we know our God is sure and His promise is sure and His Word is sure

– God has accomplished so much already

– If He has promised to be with us in our faithfulness, then what more can we do than be faithful?

– We turn to further knowledge of God

– We place our faith not blindly, but knowing He is capable, His accomplishments are vast, and His salvation is great and mighty

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Application Points

› The Gospel of Christ

– Origins

– Fall

– Redemption

– Glorification

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