Series: Isaiah
Title: THE HOUSE OF GOD’S GLORY
Text: Isaiah 60: 1-
Date: May 17, 2015
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
With Christ having accomplished the work of redemption for his people, with Christ being raised with all power in heaven and in earth, Isaiah 60 is God’s charge to his church and our comfort of certain success.
Isaiah 60: 1: Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2: For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3: And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4: Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5: Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 6: The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the LORD. 7: All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. 8: Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? 9: Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.
CHRIST’S CHARGE TO HIS CHURCH
The charge God our Savior gives to his redeemed, regenerated church is, “Arise, shine!” (Is 60: 1) The marginal reading declares this is a passive “shining.” It says, “Arise, be enlightened.” For example, if you were standing in a dark field and people were looking for you they would not be able to see you for the darkness. But if someone shined a light on you then they could see you, not because you are doing something, but because by the light shining on you, you have been enlightened.
Likewise, the reason Christ gives his church this charge is because Christ is our Light and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon his church, “For thy Light is come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.” (Is 60: 1-2)
I was with my family on a tour of a cave. The tour guide turned off the light. We could not even see our hand in front of our face. That is gross darkness.
In ourselves, we were like everyone else in this earth—covered in gross darkness. To be in gross darkness is to be guilty by Adam’s disobedience but unable to see it; to be unholy by being born of Adam but unable to see it; to have no spiritual discernment but unable to see it; to be in gross darkness but unable to see it. That was our case, as it is the case of every sinner born into this world.
The Light of every child of God—of the whole church in heaven and in earth is Christ our Light. When Christ is our Light Christ is our Life, Christ is our Discernment, Christ is our Righteousness, Christ is our Holiness, Christ is our Liberty from the law, Christ is our Constraint to obey, Christ is our Law, Christ is our Glory, Christ is our All! When Christ is our All then we have Christ our Light. He is the Glory of God risen upon his church.
We once only walked by natural light. But now natural light is not our light. Now our Light is spiritual. Now our Light is Christ. “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” (Rev 21: 23) “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.” (Isa 60:19-20) This is true of us because Christ said, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (Joh 8:12) Every true believer has “the spirit of glory and of God resting upon you.” (1 Pet 4: 14)
Brethren, by God’s grace, “the Sun of Righteousness arose with healing in his wings.” (Mal 4:2) Now, Christ is our Light and the LORD’s Glory rests upon us. So Christ says, “Arise, shine!”
HOW DO WE SHINE?
It is very important that we distinguish between the way the true church of God shines and the way the synagogue of Satan shines.
The harlot church in this world shines by drawing all eyes to her and her children. She “lets” their god save her though we know not how because she claims to do everything for her god: she makes her preachers for her god; she plants her churches for her god; she chooses herself for her god; she regenerates herself for her god; she make herself righteous for her god; she sanctifies herself for her god. She says of her god, “He has no hands but your hands, no feet but your feet.” That is exactly how God describes her god, “They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove: yea, one shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his trouble.” (Is 46: 7)
So she shines by marketing her works. This is how she attracts her members and attempts to keep her members interested. On the websites of the harlot you will find she markets her prayer meetings, her alms giving (which are nothing but humanitarian missions), and her many wonderful works. She has ministries for the married and unmarried, the child, the teen, the adult, the traditionalist and the contemporary. She arises by exalting herself. So she shines by drawing all eyes to her and her works.
But Christ’s church shines an entirely different way.
THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL
First and foremost, the true church of God shines by what we are doing right here—by preaching the truth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 4: 5: For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6: For God,…
The one reason we preach not ourselves, the one reason we preach Christ Jesus our Lord, the one reason we are servant’s for Jesus’ sake is because God is our Light and our Glory!
2 Corinthians 4: 6: For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Christ declares in our text, “thy Light is come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” It is because “God hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” Christ’s Light and Glory is the one reason we “have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” (2 Cor 4: 2)
You who have heard the gospel go forth from this pulpit for any amount of time can attest to the fact that we preach not ourselves. We take God’s word and preach what God says. We preach God’s works, not man’s works. Is that true or not?
It is true because in Psalm 22 Christ said that he will preach God’s name in the midst of the congregation. So by Christ our Head, the true church of God, every preacher Christ sends, preaches Christ and him crucified. Doing so, we preach the glory of God’s name. We preach God’s righteousness Christ Jesus. We declared, “he hath done this!” We declare salvation is “Not by works of righteousness we have done” but salvation is of the Lord—beginning to end and all points in between! We give God all the glory.
Remember Isaiah 58: 8? God declared true Light shines, not by preaching and making men observe days and carnal rules, not by pointing the finger, not by exacting all our labors upon men. The Light of Christ shines by declaring Christ fulfilled the law. Christ “loosed those bands of wickedness, undid those heavy burdens, let the oppressed go free and broke every yoke?” God said when we preach this gospel, “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning!” (Is 58: 8)
So the first way Christ’s church shines forth Christ our Light is by declaring the gospel of Christ our Light. We preach God’s marvelous works! Not our own!
THE LIGHT OF OUR WORKS
The second way Christ’s church shines is by making certain—in all our works—that it is Christ that is seen and not us. Christ said,
Matthew 5: 14: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15: Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
The only reason we are the light of the world is because Christ is our Light. So we make sure men see and hear Christ our Light, not us. When it comes to our good works, Christ is our Righteousness. The only reason we do any good works is because it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. So a believer will not make himself to be the focus—but Christ! Christ said do all to glorify your Father, not to bring glory to us.
On the contrary, Babel builders say, “Let us build us a city…and let us make us a name,…” (Gen 11:4) The thing this self-made religious world cannot understand is that the Light and Glory is God’s, not ours!
Still, God says in our text, “his glory shall be seen upon thee”—not our glory. God says, “Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.” (Isa 60:18-21) God says, “I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.” God commands his people to “Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.” (1 Ch 16: 240
So in our work of preaching the gospel, we know the glory in making the gospel effectual in the hearts of his people is his glory! So we have to wait on God to make the word effectual. Paul said,
“We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” (2Co 4:5-7)
So when the apostle Paul preached the gospel, he preached Christ, he drew all eyes to Christ, in truth and simplicity. He did nothing to draw attention to himself. He never tried to coax a profession out of sinners by his own wisdom and power. He waited on God to work in the hearts of his people.
1 Corinthians 2: 1: And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2: For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3: And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Paul instructed the church at Philippi to do the same. He said the way they shine in this dark world is by drawing no attention to themselves as they hold forth the gospel of Christ.
Philippians 2: 12: Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13: For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14: Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16: Holding forth the word of life…
Likewise, when it comes to our works such as prayer, giving and any sacrificial works we do, Christ said, do nothing to be seen of men.
Matthew 6: 1: Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2: Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3: But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5: And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6: But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly…16: Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 17: But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18: That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
A few years ago, there was an article in the paper. Teachers were asked to go into a closet at school if they wanted to pray. The teachers refused and protested! But that is the very thing Christ teaches his people to do! That which this vainly religious world calls light is nothing more than fleshly lusts which war against the soul. It is dishonest, hypocritical vanity whereby self-righteous religious folks attempt to steal God’s glory for themselves.
1 Peter 2: 9: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11: Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
CHRIST SHALL ENLARGE HIS CHURCH
As Christ our Head gives us grace to preach him and draw no attention to ourselves, he promises he will enlarge his church.
First, Christ promises to enlarge his church by calling out his elect into his house, “And the Gentiles [his elect scattered in all nations] shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” (Is 60: 3) As we preach Christ our Light, Christ will draw his people to Christ our Light. He began doing at Pentecost, “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (Ac 2:46-47)
Secondly, not only does Christ enlarge his church by adding converts, but also by enlarging the hearts of those already saved. He does so by making us see Christ work these works through the simple declaration of his gospel, “Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee.” (Is 60: 4-5) Nothing enlarges faith in the heart of a believer more than seeing Christ make good on his promises. Those who will not wait on him never see this work of Christ because they never preach only him, never wait for him alone to do the work. They use gimmicks which Christ is not involved in so they have to keep using gimmicks. But he enlarges our faith by doing exactly as he promises.
Thirdly, the Lord promises to enlarge his church by providing all our needs through his people, “The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense;…All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee.” (Is 60: 6-7) If you ever get opportunity to preach the gospel to a Muslim—do so! Midian, Ephah, Kedar are Arab nations from which God promises to draw his elect people. And through his members, Christ promises to provide the needs of his church.
Lastly, in all this work, our sovereign God and Savior shall enlarge his church by bringing all his people to glory only in him! Every saved sinner, “shall shew forth the praises of the LORD.” (Is 60: 6) Christ shall be glorified because they shall all be accepted by God upon Christ our Altar, “they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar.” (Is 60: 7) And Christ will be glorified because he did it all, “and I will glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.” (Is 60: 7-9)
My brethren, we have seen here today how we are to shine: Christ says exalt him in his gospel and stay out of the way in all our works. Christ promises “I will glorify the house of my glory.” Christ is our guarantee that this work is established and shall not fail. So brethren, “Arise and shine! for thy Light is come, and the Glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.”
Amen!