› Sermon Audio starts around 15 minute mark.

 

Isaiah 27

›Order in Chaos

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27: 1 In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

(Isaiah 27:1, ESV)

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2  In that day,

“A pleasant vineyard, sing of it!

3  I, the LORD, am its keeper;

every moment I water it.

Lest anyone punish it,

I keep it night and day;

4  I have no wrath.

Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!

I would march against them,

I would burn them up together.

5  Or let them lay hold of my protection,

let them make peace with me,

let them make peace

with me.”

6  In days to come Jacob shall take root,

Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots

and fill the whole world with fruit.

(Isaiah 27:2-6, ESV)

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7  Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them?

Or have they been slain as their

slayers were slain?

8  Measure by measure, by exile you contended with them;

he removed them with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind.

9  Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for,

and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:

when he makes all the stones of the altars

like chalkstones crushed to pieces,

no Asherim or incense altars will

remain standing.

10  For the fortified city is solitary,

a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness;

there the calf grazes;

there it lies down and strips its branches.

11  When its boughs are dry, they are broken;

women come and make a fire of them.

For this is a people without discernment;

therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them;

he who formed them will show them no favor.

(Isaiah 27:7-11, ESV)

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12 In that day from the river Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt the LORD will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. 13 And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

(Isaiah 27:12-13, ESV)

›Main Point

› These verses describe the victory of God

› In protecting His people He shows His justice and mercy

› Those who humble themselves before Him and take hold of His salvation will receive it

› Though chastisement seems harsh it is nothing compared to His judgment

› The purpose of chastisement is life not death

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Application Points

› Order in Chaos

– When we look at society we see chaos

– It can cause within us despair knowing such chaos and conflict exist

– We are reminded God is in control of the chaos

– He brings order to the chaos

– That which would cause us so much anxiety and strife is defeated

– It is not defeated by us but by God

– What is the purpose of this?

– Does the swirling chaos of the world really cause devastation?

– What did the beast do to deserve judgment?

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Application Points

› Order in Chaos (2)

– It did all that we have seen concerning the world

– What does Isaiah say about the inhabitants?

– That they lacked discernment

– Any people who lack such discernment will fall prey to the world, to leviathan

– By having no firm foundation for their lives it leads to individuals tossed about by the waves

– When the winds blow and the rains fall the house is unable to stand

– The effects of such views ends up belonging to the world

– We see how it effects the people

– They worshipped at the Asherim, false gods

– They dared to place the elements above the Creator

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Application Points

› Order in Chaos (3)

– God, however, will not allow His creation to rise above Him

– Without Him there would be no creation to witness, to reality to experience

– He is far above all these things, and He alone is worthy of all honor and glory

– It is no different than turning the world on its head

– While it is true there are few in our culture who worship at the altar of the Baals we do have spiritual altars on which we sacrifice

– When we seek to define “Good” and “bad” on our own it is no different than worshipping false gods of old

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Application Points

› Order in Chaos (4)

– It is a lack of discernment which places our trust in false idols and it is the same lack of discernments which leads to trust in ourselves

– We are saying, “We know better than God.”

– What happens? Nothing but disillusionment and chaos

– Who is to say what is good and right for another person

– Yet, that is the problem, in deciding for ourselves what is true and good and right we will automatically come to different definitions

– If we are the only ones who decide these things, then my view is no better than yours and truth is shattered

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Application Points

› Order in Chaos (5)

–If, however, there is a Creator to the universe…then He can provide us a foundation for reality

– Then it would not be you or I who defines what is true

– Instead, truth could be found

– In this way God cuts off the head of the dragon

– When we come humbly to God and acknowledge His existence we can then fall under His protection

– Does this mean we will always get things right? No

– Our inability to know everything perfectly does not negate our ability to find truth

– While we are finite and sinful, God is infinite and without sin, the source of all truth

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Application Points

› Order in Chaos (6)

– There are moments of struggle and frustration because of our inabilities and sinfulness

– There are moments of chastisement

– God chastises those He loves

– In His chastisement He brings us back to the truth

– While the moments of chastisement may seem arbitrary or without purpose, it always has purpose

– Moments of seeming chaos is ordered by God

– We see the blessings of the protection of God

– With God we have a foundation for all of reality (goodness, morality, discernment etc.)

– Without God there is only this physical experience where each person decides these things for themselves

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Application Points

› Order in Chaos (7)

– In the end human sinfulness causes chaos

– God puts an end to human sinfulness through His salvation and judgment

– Judgment for those who seek themselves, salvation for those who seek Him

– It leaves us with incredible hope

– He has given us a foundation not of sticks of stones, but of Himself

– This world, when followed through, only ever offers us chaos in our sinfulness

– God, however, provides order

– Only in God can we find order in chaos

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Application Points

› The Gospel of Christ

– Origins

– Fall

– Redemption

– Glorification

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