Who is this God? (Isaiah 25:1-9)
This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 31 March 2024. The audio recording of the sermon can be found below along with the transcript.
Who is God and what is he like? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Stopped to consider who it is that Christians come to church to worship, what kind of being we believe to be our God? If you are here this morning, and you don’t call yourself a Christian, or you don’t live that faith out in your everyday life, then first of all can I say it is great to have you with us. You are always welcome to come along to our services here at Grace Church. However, secondly, can I invite you to consider that question with me this morning: Who is God? What is he like? After all you will know there have been many gods and goddesses in the history of humanity. Indeed, folklore is full different deities. Norse mythology tells us of Thor, the god of thunder, and of Loki, the god of mischief. Greek religion taught all about Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Athena, the goddess of war. The Romans believed in Neptune, the god of the sea, and Jupiter, the god of the sky. The history of humanity is full of different gods, with different special powers, ruling over different spheres of life. And so, a sensible question to ask this morning is: who is this God that we are worshipping in our service today? Who is the God of Christianity? What is he like?
That is really the question that goes to the very heart of the book of Isaiah. If you don’t know much about Isaiah, all you need to know is that he was a prophet, a religious teacher, in Israel towards the end of the Old Testament, and that he wrote a book to tell others all about his God. Earlier in our service, we read some verses in Isaiah 25, which are right at the centre of his book, and directly answer that great question we will be considering together. You can see that there by how our passage starts and ends. There in 25:1, we read: [READ]. And then it goes on to describe all that God has done, explain who this God is and what he is like. And then, right at the end, in 25:9, we read: [READ]. If you’re here this morning, trying to get your head around who the God of Christianity is, then see that Isaiah 25 describes that God, tells you about this Lord that we Christians all come to church to worship.
And yet, we are going to see this morning that this text is not ultimately targeted at unbelievers, those who don’t yet know this God of the Bible. But rather, it is actually written as a reminder for God’s people. Again, you can see that at the start and end, in 25:1 and 25:9, there is the personal appropriation of this God. In 25:1, Isaiah exclaims not [...]. And again, at the end in 25:9, it doesn’t say [...]. Christian, Isaiah 25 doesn’t just describe a god, it describes your God, the Lord that you have personally trusted in, the God that has promised to save you. And so, brother or sister, if you are here this Easter morning and you are burdened or broken, feel overwhelmed by the cares of life, if your heart is heavy within you this morning, then come with me for a few minutes, and let us look at this God of ours together. Let us remind ourselves who he is and what he is like. For I believe that by doing so, by stopping and seeing our God this morning, we will all be able to echo the end of this passage in 25:9 together, be able to end our service this morning by singing and praising his name from our hearts. By rejoicing and being glad in our salvation, in the fact that we have a God, a Saviour, like this. Who is God? What is he like? Well, in our text we see two truths: (1) The God of Ruin and Refuge (25:1-5); (2) The God of Laughter and Life (25:6-9).
1. THE GOD OF RUIN AND REFUGE (25:1-5)
What is it that Isaiah wants to tell us about this God? What causes him to exalt and praise his name in 25:1? Well, as we read there, Isaiah says that it is the fact that “in perfect faithfulness, [God has] done wonderful things, things planned long ago.” It sounds great! God has done wonderful things! He has performed his perfect plan! It sounds so positive. And yet, when we read on, we are somewhat shocked, surprised, startled to hear what he is referring to. For in 25:2, Isaiah goes on to describe how God destroyed a city, raised a town, brought a stronghold to ruin. We read: [READ]. The wonderful thing that God was done, the perfect plan he has performed, is full and final destruction, bringing a city to utter ruin, breaking a castle down into so much rubble, that it will never be rebuilt.
Now given the positivity of 25:1, we may find that surprising this morning. And yet, those who read the whole of Isaiah up to this point, would be expecting exactly that. If we had been able to take the time this morning to read the previous 24 chapters of Isaiah, to walk through the book from the beginning, we would see that God has been planning this judgment for a long time. Indeed, from at least Isaiah 13 onwards, the prophet has been warning his readers that this is exactly what is going to happen. [TURN - 698] From this moment on in the book, Isaiah has been prophesying against the nations of the world, warning them that God’s judgment is on its way. In Isaiah 13, he speaks against Babylon, the great superpower of his day. In Isaiah 14, he prophesises against the Philistines. In Isaiah 16 it is against the country of Moab, in Isaiah 17 it is the city of Damascus, Isaiah 18 the land of Cush, in Isaiah 19, the nation of Egypt. We could go on to see him speak against the country of Edom, and the city of Tyre in chapters 21 and 22. Again and again, Isaiah has been warning the world that trouble is coming, God’s judgment is its way. That God was not pleased with how they were behaving, with the other gods they were worshipping, with the kinds of sins they were committing. And so, just as God had done earlier in the Bible, by tearing down the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, raining fire from heaven on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, God was once again coming to crush his enemies, to bring their civilizations and their cities to ruin.
And you don’t need a history degree to work out that this is exactly what happened. When was the last time you talked with someone from the land of Cush? Or ran into a Philistine? Have you ever set foot in the city of Babylon? God dealt with the great nations of Isaiah’s day exactly how he promised he would. There are no people of Edom, Cush or Moab today. The Philistines have been forgotten. The cities of Tyre and Damascus have lost all of their global importance. Egypt is no longer a world superpower, and the greatest civilisation of all, Babylon, is gone, long covered by the sands of the desert, drowned in the tides of time. These great cities, these mighty nations of Isaiah’s day were all reduced to ruins, only now remembered through the relics that fill the rooms of our museums. And that is what 25:2 tells us would happen. When read here of the ruin of cities, the destruction of strongholds, we see God performed his plan. Brought the cities of his enemies to nothing, left them in ruins, never to be rebuilt. Here we see that the God of Christianity, is the God of ruin, he is the one who judges all the nations of the world.
As so we reflect on this today in the 21st century, I think there is a clear question that we need to consider. For if God judged the nations of Isaiah’s day, then what will he do with the nations of our day? If he brought the ancient world to ruin, what will he do now with the modern world? Friends, do you think that God is any more pleased with the way that the world is today, than with the way it was during the days of Isaiah? Now, of course, some things have improved, and we should be thankful for that. Medical advances have lengthened lives and reduced suffering for many. Legal advances have meant that institutions like slavery have been undermined, and human rights are now often protected. And yet, if we step back and look at the state of the world today, I doubt any of us can say that God would be pleased with what he sees. Yes, we have developed medicines to cure each other, but we’ve also developed chemicals to kill each other. As the centuries have passed, our conflicts and wars have only got worse, not better. More humans died due to war in the 20th century than in any other century in history. More human beings are going hungry today, starving due to greed and corruption, than ever before. Just think of all the brokenness you can see around you in everyday life: exploitation and inequality in society, bullying and abuse in the workplace, bitterness and anger in your family, anxiety and selfishness in yourself. That is where this should really hit home for us this morning, for not only is God looking at all that is happening in the world out there, but he is looking at all that is happening in here, in each of our human hearts. Friends, when God loos at your life, do you think he is pleased with what he sees? Pleased with your selfishness and sin? With your addition to physical pleasures, and rejection of his ways? Friends, this world today is not what it should be. We are not what we should be, for we have all sinned, fallen short of God’s perfect expectations. And so just as God judged the nations of the ancient world, he will judge us in the modern world too. Just as he brought them to ruin, he will bring you to ruin.
As the Bible later points out in Hebrews 9:27, “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement.” Friends, if you are brave enough to step back from all the distraction of this world long enough to think about it, you will realise, really realise, that one day you will die. Whether it is a car accident or cancer, whether it is age or Alzheimer’s, one day you will die. One day death will swallow you up, just like it has swallowed up everyone else in history. And the Bible says that on that day, you will face God’s judgement, experience full and final ruin. You will never be able to recover, rebuild what he tears down, for the judgment you experience for sin is forever. There is no way to escape, there is no way to outrun the God of ruin. There is no possibility of overpowering him, no opportunity to outwit him. Here in 25:2 we see that he turns cities into rubble, fortified towns into ruins, even strongholds cannot stand against his storm. Friend, if this God can crush civilizations, what can he do to you? If this God can bring fortified cities to ruin, what chance do you have if you decide to stand against him? Defy him? We cannot build a wall high enough, have an army great enough, create a country strong enough, to stand against this God for even an instant. No citadel can keep you safe, if you take a stand against the Lord. And yet, praise God this morning, that there is somewhere you can find safety from this storm. For amid the fury of God’s storm, there is a wonderful rainbow of promise in our passage. Oh yes, this God will destroy, but he will also deliver. For this God is not only a God of ruin, but he is also a God of refuge. There in 25:4, we read: “You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.”
Here we see that God is a bit like a mother bear. She can tear apart any who come against her with her great paws, and yet with those same great paws, she can care for her little cubs. And here we see that God is the same. The God of Christianity is both terrible and tender. He is righteous and gracious, just and loving. For those who are his enemies, he is utter ruin. And yet, for those who are his people, he is a refuge, a safe shelter in the storm. That image of a shelter is prominent, there in 25:4–5. I’m not sure whether you’ve found yourself seeking shelter over the last few days, when we’ve had stormy winds and torrential rain, maybe you’ve been outside walking and had to step in under a tree, or behind a wall, to shelter for a few moments. Here we see that the God of Christianity is a great shelter for those who step behind him, he can take the wind and rain for those who seek refuge in him. However, we also have the other end of the spectrum in our passage, not only a shelter from the storm, but also a shade from the heat, there in 25:4–5. You see for us here in the UK, that may not mean as much, as we will relate more to seeking shelter from the rain than shade from the sun. However, for the people of Israel, for those to whom Isaiah was writing, it is actually the latter image that was more striking for them. For living in the heat of the Middle East, they would have known the relief and rest that a shady spot could give them on a scorching day.
Here we see that God can provide both a refuge from the rain and a shade from the sun. No matter what kind of storm we are exposed to, whether it is water or heat, God can keep us safe. Christian, do you see the encouragement of that this morning? No matter what storm you are facing in your life right now, whether its financial or relational, whether it is being tempted by sin or suffering in your physical body, no matter if it is the unjust opposition of others or just the unfortunate circumstances of life. No matter what kind of storm you are weathering right now, you can be safe if you are sheltering in this God. For he can save us in all situations, whether it is the heat of the sun or the cool of the rain. There is no dilemma that God cannot deliver you from. There is no hole too deep, no dungeon too dark, pit too miserable, that he cannot lift you up out of and set you on a rock. Indeed, is it not on this very day, on Easter Sunday, that we remember that he was even able to raise Jesus from the dead. What is more hopeless than the plight of a dead man? And yet, God was able to even bring that about for great and glorious good. Brother or sister, do you really think that God cannot sort out the mess you are in right now? Turn it around for your good and his glory? No matter how bad your life story seems to be going, you need to know that the Lord can always give it a happy ending. There is always room for a twist in the tale, when this God is writing the story.
The God of Christianity is not only a God of ruin, he is also a God of refuge. He is an ever-present help in times of trouble. Here in 25:5, Isaiah says that he can shield us from the ruthless storms of other people, from the anger of those who oppress us. And yet, as the rest of the Bible goes onto record, this God cannot only shield you from the storms caused by others, but most importantly he can shield you from the storm that comes from himself. He cannot only offer you a refuge from the wrath of men, but he can offer you refuge from the wrath of God. For as we remembered on Good Friday, he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer on the cross for the sins of his people, to face the storm of God’s righteous anger on our behalf, so that if we trust in Jesus, believe in him, follow him, we can be saved, we can be safe. Friends, the Bible is clear that there is a firestorm of God’s judgment, a flood of his wrath, coming against this sinful world, against each of us. This God is the God of ruin. And yet, he is also the God of refuge, offering us a life raft, an ark, a safe shelter from the coming storm, for all who will believe in him.
2. THE GOD OF LAUGHTER AND LIFE (25:6-9)
Who is God? What is like? We’ve seen that he is a God of ruin and refuge. And perhaps you are here this morning, and you are thinking to yourself, that that is exactly what you thought I would say. Maybe you grew up in church, have read the Bible a bit, spoken with some Christians, and so nothing I have said so far has surprised you. So far, this is exactly who you thought the God of Christianity was. A God of judgment. A God set against sin and angry with sinners. Well, if so, I want you to see that there is another part to God’s person, a second side to our Saviour. For yes, there is the judgment of Hell, the Bible is very clear on that, but there is also the joy of Heaven! There is the story of Good Friday, of the wrath of God against sin on the cross. But there is also the story of Easter Sunday, of new life in Jesus rising from the tomb! For after telling us about the cities of men being left in ruins, Isaiah now tells us about to the city of God that will stand forever. In 25:6, he speaks of a heavenly mountain, saying: [READ].
That reference to a mountain in 25:5 is an allusion to the city of Jerusalem, which sat at the top of a tall mountain. This city is feasting, enjoying a religious festival, as the Jewish people did multiple times a year. And yet, we see here that this feast is not restricted to a few Jews, that this city is not populated by the people of Israel. No, for on that future day, in that New Jerusalem, in that City of God that will stand forever, we see that this feast is prepared in 25:6 for “all peoples.” The same emphasis continues when Isaiah speaks of “all peoples” and “all nations” in 25:7, and “all faces” and God’s people from “all the earth” in 25:8. This future heavenly feast will be filled with followers from around the world, this future city of God will be populated by a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. For yes, God will bring ruin on all the nations of the world, but he will also rescue a people for himself from those same nations. From Tyre and Cush, Edom and Babylon, from Britain and India, from Nigeria and Brazil. And we see here that he will bring them to a heavenly home, set them in a city that will stand forever, and they will feast on rich food, the best of meals, the like of which even your lamb dinner at Easter will not compare to! For the God of Christianity, is a God of rich provision, of abundant joy, of lavish feasting and great laughter.
Friend, see here that when God stops the sinful feasting of this world, it is so he can replace it with something far better! When God judges our sin, it is so he can establish true joy forever. The God of Christianity is not offering you a bad bargain. He is not spoiling your fun just for the sake of it. No, this God offers you something better, something greater, than this world can ever give you. He offers you far more than a few years of Instagram fame, or a few minutes of sexual passion. He offers you far more than a big bank account, a flashy house, an impressive job. The best pleasures of this world are but pale imitations of the pleasures that God offers in the world to come. The feasts of the flesh are nothing compared to this feast of the future, where there will be endless joy, eternal laughter, pleasure forever. Friends, don’t be fooled by the sly marketing of sin and Satan. The God of Christianity is not out to spoil your fun, squash your desires. As the Christian writer, C S Lewis put it, when we read the Bible:
“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” Friend, if you are here this morning, and you are trying to get all the fun you can from life, have as many laughs as possible, experience as much pleasure as possible, before the end, then take care that you aren’t too easily pleased, aren’t getting distracted with the cheap snacks of this world, when the rich feast of God is laid out before you. For if you want true joy, real pleasure, a gladness that has no guilt, a laughter that only gets better and better, greater and greater, with time, then see here that that is what the God of Christianity offers you. Those who trust in him, come to him, follow him, find that the story of their life really does end happily ever after. For those who find refuge in Jesus, the story does not end in endless judgment, but rather it ends in endless joy.
The God of Christianity is the God of endless laughter, and that is because he is also the God of endless life. And that is what Isaiah goes on to describe in the final verses of our passage. For in 25:7–8, he tells us of another great miracle that he will perform on that mountain, another great feat that will accompany that great feast, for we read: [READ]. Here we see why this party does not stop, this feast will never end, for death itself will be defeated. The imagery that Isaiah uses there is from a funeral: the shroud and sheet that he mentions in 25:7 refers to the cloth that is put over a corpse and the veil that is spread over their face. Similarly, the tears he talks about in 25:8 are those shed by mourners at the graveside. Isaiah points out that in the future, there will be a feast for God’s people, but there will be no funerals. For our God has undone death, defeated the grave. For while the Bible tells us that one day death will swallow all of us up, it also tells us about the God who will one day swallow it up. And indeed, in Jesus Christ, has done exactly that.
That is how we began our service this morning. In 1 Corinthians 15 [...]. On the cross Jesus suffered death. In the tomb he swallowed it up. Christ defeated death through death. As John Owen put it, it is the death of death in the death of Christ [...]. Yes, “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement.” But thanks be to God, that instead there can come laughter and life. As Thomas Watson put it, Heaven is a place where sorrow cannot live and joy cannot die! Is this your God? [...] For on that mountain, in that last moment, we see what we will say. The final response of 25:9 – surely this is our God, we can trust him, we can rejoice in him.
