Series: Isaiah
Title: In This Mountain
Text: Isaiah 25: 6-11
Date: February 28, 2010
Place: Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, Princeton, NJ
Isaiah 25: 6: And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
In this mountain
We find this phrase a lot. In the earth it was the city of Jerusalem, mount Zion. That earthly mount was set up by God as the central point where his truth spread out into the nation Israel.
Proposition: The earthly mountain was but a shadow of the church of God over which Christ reigns from heavenly Jerusalem.
Divisions: The Earthly Mountain; The Spiritual Mountain; the Glorious Mountain.
According Isaiah's word, to the LORD's counsel of old, the LORD destroyed the temple in Jerusalem, the city itself, and the Jews were carried into captivity. He truly did to Jerusalem what Isaiah says here in verse 2:
Isaiah 25: 2: For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city.
Isaiah 64:10: Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.
Point: The men of Israel rejected God for the ceremonies he gave them. They looked upon the carnal privileges as their life rather than God. So it is with all men who are born of Adam. God has to break down our fortified cities. He has to make us to know that the law declares us guilty, dead. He has to make the carnal in which we put our confidence in into a wilderness and desolation before our eyes.
I. THIS EARTHLY MOUNTAIN
In time, the Lord would gather his elect from among the Jews to earthly Jerusalem.
Zechariah 7: 3: Thus saith the LORD; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the LORD of hosts the holy mountain. 4: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age…7: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Behold, I will save my people from the east country, and from the west country; 8: And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness….8: 20: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the inhabitants of many cities: 21: And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22: Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD. 23: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
Back in Isaiah 2, the Lord speaks of this work:
Isaiah 2: 2: And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills;
The last days is this gospel age, the day of the Lord. On one hand, he speaks in lofty terms about the earthly mountain because Christ Jesus the image of God came to that earthly mountain: other mountains excelled it in height but the glory of God made that mountain surpass all others in excellence.
Literally, it was in that earthly mount that the Lord called out his apostles, honored the law of God and laid down his life to justify his people from their sins. The feast he made is the fat things, the refined wine of the gospel of Christ.
- Justification in Christ
- Sanctification by Christ
- Adoption by Jesus Christ
- Eternal inheritance obtained for his people by Jesus Christ
Isaiah 2: 2:…and all nations shall flow unto it 3: And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
The gospel of Christ began in the earthly mount called Zion and spread "out of Zion" "from Jerusalem", into all the world. So there is an
earthly fulfillment.
But Christ arose from the dead to New Jerusalem in heaven. So this mountain refers spiritually to his church, the spiritual mountain of the LORD's house--the substance--is his holy mount Zion, the church, to which his elect are drawn and from heavens Jerusalem from where he teaches his Word in the heart. (Hold place in Isaiah and Turn to Acts 2)
The majority in Israel and Judah thought that these prophecies meant the kingdom would be restored in the earth to what it was in king David's day. Even the disciples of the Lord:
· The Lord Jesus had said that his kingdom was not of this earth.
· Not one stone would be left upon another in Jerusalem, the temple would be destroyed. [That came to pass in 70AD.]
· The veil in the temple rent in two when our Lord cried, "It is finished!"
· Matthew 28:18: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
But they had been taught to look for an earthly kingdom all their lives.
Acts 1:6: When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7: And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.
The church was about to be baptized into the Holy Ghost at earthly Jerusalem, in earthly mount Zion. Peter and the others were about to be made to understand the true nature of this glorious promise.
Read our text: Isaiah 25: 7: And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
II. THIS SPIRITUAL MOUNTAIN.
So it came to pass. In Jerusalem in this mountain on the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost was poured out. They began to preach the gospel in languages they had never learned. The Lord would remove the covering through His gospel declaring a new day, a new Jersualem, a new kingdom is established.
Acts 2: 5: And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6: Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.
The LORD said in this mountain I will prepare this gospel feast for all people--for my elect from among all the nations. Now look who is present. Here is the literal fulfillment of it taking place in that earthly mountain.
Acts 2: 9: Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10: Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11: Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. [the gospel, the feast of fat things. But some said these men are drunk, but Peter said not so…]…16: But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Not that men and women would be prophets or preachers, but Christ the King, God our Savior, through his gospel, removes the vail from the sin-blinded hearts of his redeemed, as he teaches all his children--they shall all be taught of God--men and women--young and old--servants and handmaids. This was God's word through the prophet Joel, Isaiah and all the prophets. Peter mentions the great and notable day of the Lord--the Lord destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD. What does all this mean about Jesus of Nazareth? About this mountain and this gospel feast? It means he is both King and Christ. Drop down to verse 25. .
Acts 2: 25: For David speaketh concerning him,…30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32: This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 36: Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
That is what it means--Jesus is the KING AND THE CHRIST. His throne is not in earthly Jerusalem but in heavens Jerusalem. His holy mountain is not this earthly mountain but his church. His people are not Jews only but also an elect from among the Gentiles. What a feast! What a feast of fat things!
Hebrews 12: 22: But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23: To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24: And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Psalm 2: 6: Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion….45:6: Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
Isaiah cried, 26: 15: Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.
As this mountain, the church, goes forth bidding sinners to this feast of fat things, our King Christ, Jesus of Nazareth from heavens Jerusalem sends forth his word in power.
Through the Holy Spirit he creates a new heart, making his people partakers of the divine nature so that all are taught of the Lord.
AND the center of our attention IS Christ on his throne just as earthly Jerusalem foreshadowed.
The old ministration was earthy and is gone, the new ministration is the gospel given from Christ through his church.
2 Corinthians 3: 17: Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18: But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
1) When the Spirit of the Lord enters into a sinner, his gospel word has an effectual result--
· From death to spiritual life-He swallows up death in victory.
· From sorrow to joy--he wipes away the tears from the faces of all whom he regenerates.
· From rebuke to acceptance--He takes the rebuke of sin and death and hell from off his people scattered throughout the earth and gives us peace with God.
2) And just as he grows us as we feast at our earthly tables, so he grows us in grace as we feast upon this gospel.
In this mountain--the church of the living God--the LORD of hosts has prepared this feast. He does it all. Without Christ we have nothing to feast upon. His broken body is the Bread of life. His shed blood is the Wine of rejoicing. HE is the Mediator of this new covenant. Through the Holy Spirit, by his blood our conscience is purged from dead works to serve him. The LORD made this feast UNTO ALL PEOPLE. That is, for his elect from among the Jews and the Gentiles.
He showed a great example of how he removes the covering at Pentecost.
Acts 2: 41:…the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
III. THIS GLORIOUS MOUNTAIN--The Final Fulfillment of our Text is in Glory (Turn to Rev 21)
Our text says: Isaiah 25: 8: He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it. (Rev 21)
I Corinthians 15: 54: So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
After final judgment was passed this is what John saw.
Revelation 21: 1: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4: And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5: And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6: And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7: He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.