Let's open our Bibles today to
the book of Isaiah chapter 2. Isaiah chapter 2 and looking
at the first five verses The word that Isaiah the son of Amos
saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 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 and all nations shall flow under it. Many people
shall go and say, come ye, 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.
And he shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many
people. And they shall beat their swords
into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war
anymore. O house of Jacob, come ye and
let us walk in the light of the Lord. I brought my message last
Sunday morning from Isaiah chapter one, and I began the message
quoting from the first verse of Hebrews chapter one. That
verse says, Go a God who at sundry times and in diverse manners
spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. And I said that
Isaiah was one of the prophets by whom God spoke to the fathers,
and that the sundry times that he did so was during the reigns
of those four kings that are mentioned in chapter one, Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Now we see in our text today
one of the diverse manners in which God spoke. That verse,
let me read it again. God, who at sundry times, that
is different times, and in diverse manners, different manners, spoke
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets. We see in our
text today one of the diverse manners, one of the different
manners in which God spoke. Look again at verse one. the
word that Isaiah the son of Amos saw, the word that he saw concerning
Judah and Jerusalem. In other words, Isaiah was given
a vision of the thing that would come to pass. John Calvin remarked
here, we perceive more and more the astonishing goodness of God.
that not satisfied with giving us his bare word, he places before
our eyes, as it were, representations of the events. I would also remind us of the
second verse in Hebrews chapter one, which says, hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his son, whom he hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom he also made the worlds. You see, this
prophecy concerns the last days. Look at that in verse two. And
it shall come to pass in the last days. The last days are
the days of the Messiah. Most people believe, most commentators
believe that the last days began with the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ when he was born into this world, now just a little
over 2,000 years ago, and shall continue until he comes again
the second time. Isaiah and some of the prophets
that followed him prophesied of dark days, dark days, difficult
days that would come upon the nation because of their sins. If you keep your place here,
but look over just a few pages into the prophecy of Jeremiah. Jeremiah, as it were, followed
Isaiah as a prophet to the nation of Judah. And he actually prophesied
to the carrying away of the nation. But in Jeremiah chapter 16, and
there's so many examples we could turn to, but let's just look
at this one. Jeremiah chapter 16 and beginning
in verse 11. Then shalt thou say unto them,
because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have
walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped
them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law, and ye
have done worse than your fathers. For behold, you walk every one
after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not
hearken unto me. Therefore, will I cast you out
of this land into a land that you know not, neither ye nor
your fathers, and there shall you serve other gods day and
night, where I will not show you favor. Therefore, behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said,
the Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out
of the land of Egypt, but the Lord liveth that brought up the
children of Israel from the land of the north, that is from Babylon. and from all the lands, whether
he had driven them, and I will bring them again into their land
that I gave unto their fathers." Isaiah, and as I said, prophets
who followed him, they prophesied and foretold of dark days that
were coming upon the nation because of their sin, because especially
their idolatry, forsaking God and turning to those things which
are not God's. And my friends, it's so easy
to read the history of Israel and to see their awful sin and
to see how foolish it was and yet not say that we do the same
thing, that we're guilty of the very same things and not believing
and trusting in the only true and living God as we should. Jerusalem would be destroyed,
be ransacked, the beautiful temple that Solomon built, the glory
of the earth at that time. It would be burned with fire,
the walls of Jerusalem broken down, and the people carried
into captivity. And even when they were brought
back, they suffered one calamity after another. And it was this
prophecy that we are looking at today, here in Isaiah chapter
2, that would take place in the last days, the days of the Messiah,
that would give comfort. It was given that it might give
comfort to the true believers in the nation as they went through
all of the difficulties and calamities that would come upon them. This
prophecy of what would happen in the last days. The word which
Isaiah saw was, many understood, the thing. It says here in verse
one, the word that Isaiah the son of Amos saw concerning Judah
and Jerusalem. The word that he saw, the thing
that he saw, the purpose, the purpose that he saw. Now this
prophecy reveals God's purpose. And I just want to remind us
again today that God's purposes are not like our purpose. Or
I should say that the other way around. God's purpose is one. Our purposes are plural. But
God's purpose is not like our purposes. God's purpose never
fails. What God purposes comes to pass. What you and I and most men,
what we purpose many times never materializes. Look with me in
Isaiah chapter 14. And I know you know this, but
isn't it comforting to be reminded once again that the God that
we worship is a sovereign God, that he reigns and rules at all
times and all places over all people and over all circumstances. Isaiah chapter 14, beginning
in verse 24. We read, the Lord of hosts has
sworn, saying, surely as I have thought, so shall it come to
pass. And as I have purposed, so shall
it stand. Down to verse 26. This is the
purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth. And this is
the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the
Lord of hosts hath purposed and who shall disannul it? And his
hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? So Isaiah
saw the purpose of the word, the thing that God had purposed
would take place in the latter days, the days of the Messiah. I want to point three things
out to us in this prophecy. First, the church's foundation
would be manifested. Notice in verse two, it says,
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. The church, the church of the
Lord Jesus Christ here is referred to or called the Lord's house. I want you to keep your places
here, but go with me to the letter of Hebrews. And I trust that
you will turn with me this morning to various scriptures, and if
not, maybe you'll mark them down and look later. But in Hebrews
chapter 3, I'm saying this morning that this word that Isaiah saw,
God's purpose that would come to pass in the last days, the
days of the Messiah, is that the church's foundation would
be manifested. And as far as the church being
called the Lord's house, if you look here in Hebrews chapter
3, beginning with verse one. Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers
of the heavenly calling, consider the apostle and high priest of
our profession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to him that
appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house. For this man was counted worthy
of more glory than Moses, and as much as he who hath builted
the house hath more honor than the house, For every house is
built of some man, but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful
in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of those things
which were to be spoken after. Now notice this, but Christ,
the Lord Jesus Christ, as a son, as a son over his own house,
whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing
of the hope firm unto the end. The mountain of the Lord's house. The Lord's house here refers
to the church of Jesus Christ. His house. In 1st Timothy and
chapter 3 and verse 15, another verse that declares this. Paul
is writing to Timothy telling him, but if I tarry long, that
thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in, now listen,
in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and ground of the truth. Now let me give us two
reasons why the church may be called the house of the Lord. First of all, every house has
a foundation. Every house has a foundation.
Even that house that our Lord speaks about that was built upon
the sand, the sand was its foundation. And there are many people who
build upon the sand. They build their hope of eternal
life, their hope of sins forgiven upon the sand. And when the storm
comes, and it will come, Their foundation cannot hold the house,
and the house is destroyed. The church of the Lord Jesus
Christ has one foundation, and that foundation is Jesus Christ,
her Lord. This is what he said, upon this
rock I will build my church. And don't be misled by Satan
and his lies. that would tell you that the
church of the Lord Jesus Christ is built upon some weak, fallible,
sinful man? How ridiculous, how deceptive,
how foolish to think that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ
is somehow built upon the foundation of Peter? No, no, my friends. That's a
foundation of sand, to say the least. What did the Apostle Paul
write? He said this, and are built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone. Who was the foundation of the
apostles? Jesus Christ. who was the foundation
of all the prophets, Jesus Christ. He is the foundation stone that
God has laid. Read about this in Isaiah chapter
28 and verse 16. God laid the foundation stone. And it's a precious stone. It
is an elect stone. And it is a stone upon which
those who build shall not be discouraged, shall not be disappointed. When all the world is assembled
before the Lord Jesus Christ, the great white throne judgment,
those who have built their hope of salvation upon Jesus Christ. will not be discouraged, will
not be disappointed, but shall be confessed before all the world
to be God's people. But those who build on another
foundation, they shall be turned away. The Lord Jesus Christ shall
say unto them, depart from me, ye wicked, for I never knew you. Why is the church called house
of the Lord because Christ is the foundation, the foundation. And a second reason is because
the Lord Jesus Christ is its builder. That's what he said. He said, upon this rock I will
build my church. And you notice back here in Isaiah
chapter 2, it is Christ who is above the hills. And it shall
come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord's
house, that is the church, shall be established in the top of
the mountains. Now, Jesus Christ himself is
the top of the mountain. He is above everything. He said unto his disciples, all
power, all authority, is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
All authority. Now what's, you say, well what's
so special about that? He said that as the man, Christ
Jesus. As a servant of Jehovah. As God
manifests in the flesh, there's a man in glory. The Lord Jesus
Christ, he's absolutely God, but he's absolutely man, the
God man. And he has all power, all authority
everywhere. Therefore, go into all nations
and make disciples of them. He's the builder of the church.
In Acts chapter two and verse 47, we read this. And the Lord added to the church
daily such as should be saved. A preacher cannot add to the
church. They might add to the church
membership of a local church, but to the church of the Lord
Jesus Christ, he's the only one who can add one to his church. We sang that a minute ago. The church is one foundation,
Jesus Christ, her Lord. They are brought into the church
by the ministry of the word and the spirit, just like he said
to Nicodemus, except a man be born of water and of the spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. The water there, no doubt,
represents the word of God. God, the Lord Jesus Christ, he's
the one who calls and sends men out to preach, and not just preachers,
but everyone, as we will see in just a moment. We all have
the opportunity and the responsibility to witness and testify of Christ. He's above everything. Let me
read you this verse. It's part of Paul's prayer in
Ephesians chapter one. In Ephesians chapter 1, I'll just read the whole prayer. Beginning with verse 15, Paul
writes, wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the
Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints. Those are two things
that always accompany salvation, isn't it? Faith, love, and hope. Paul says, since I heard of your
faith in the Lord Jesus and love unto all the saints, I cease
not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened. that you may know what is the
hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness
of his power to usward who believe. Are you a believer today? Let
me tell you something. God put forth his power to cause
you to believe. The same power, Paul tells us,
that God put forth in raising the body of Jesus Christ, He's
put forth in bringing you from spiritual death to life, to believe
in Jesus Christ. Which He wrought in Christ when
He raised Him from the dead and set Him at His own right hand
in the heavenly places. Now notice, where is He today? at the right hand of the Father,
for above all principality, all principality, all rulers, powers,
angels, whatever, demons, everything, above all principality and power
and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only
in this world, but also in that which is to come, and hath put
all things, poor little old Jesus, Won't you feel sorry for him?
Won't you let him into your heart? Does that sound like this Jesus? Does it? Does it to me? And I wouldn't say one word,
God help me, never to say one word that would take away from
his kindness, His love and His compassion. But my friends, He
is a sovereign Lord. He's not waiting outside your
heart to see what you will do with Him. And He's not in your
hands, He's not in my hands to see what I will do with Him.
He's got the whole world in His hands. That's what Paul is saying
here. that put all things under his
feet, gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."
Now, let's go back to our text. So first of all, what would take
place in the days of the Messiah? The church's foundation would
be manifested. The church's expansion would
be great. The church's expansion would
be great. Notice again in verse two, and
all nations shall flow into it. 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. The church's expansion should
be great. All nations shall flow into it. Until the last days, until the
days of the Messiah, the church, the body of Christ, was mostly
associated with the nation of Israel. There were Gentiles,
of course, who were saved. through the Old Testament period,
but mainly the church of the Lord Jesus Christ was associated
with the nation of Israel. When the Lord Jesus Christ came
into this world, when he first sent out his 12 disciples, he
told them, don't go into the way of the Gentiles. You go to
the house of Israel and enter not into the way of the Samaritans,
those who were half Jew and half Gentile, the Samaritans, go not
into the way of the Gentiles. That's what our Lord said when
he sent his 12 disciples out the first time. Go not into the
way of the Gentiles, into the way of the Samaritans, enter
not. And remember that woman of Canaan, she was a Syrophoenician
woman. Her daughter was grievously vexed
of a devil. And she came to him asking for
mercy. And at first he said to her,
I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
And the Apostle Paul writing in Romans chapter 15 said that
Jesus Christ was a minister, a minister, a preacher of the
circumcision that is of the Jews for the truth of God to confirm
the promises to the fathers. Yet, thank God, after his resurrection,
he commanded the gospel to be preached among all nations. His
church was to wait until the coming of the Holy Spirit, and
then he told them that they would be witnesses unto him in Jerusalem,
Judea, and unto the utter, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts
of the world. Just as this verse tells us here. Look in verse, verse two, verse
three. And out of Zion shall go forth
the law. And the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem. You see, there's a difference
now. The foundation of the church
has been manifested. The Lord Jesus Christ has come. And now the church is expanded,
greatly expanded. And I want to point out five
things that stand out to me here about the church being expanded.
Number one, when the law was given on Mount Sinai, it was
given in one language. God spoke in one language, the
Hebrew language. Remember what happened on the
day of Pentecost when God the Holy Spirit came? Those people
were there in Jerusalem from many different nations. And they
all heard the beautiful things, the wonderful things of God in
their own languages. You know, that in itself shows
the church's expansion would take place in the last days.
No longer just going to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,
but going into all the world and preaching the gospel. every
creature. And whosoever believeth and is
baptized shall be saved. Whosoever believeth not shall
be damned. The second thing that stands
out to me is the gospel was first preached at Jerusalem. That's
what our Lord told His disciples. They would be witnesses unto
Him both in Jerusalem And that's where they were to begin, then
in Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Now what's so special about the gospel being preached in Jerusalem? I'll tell you what's special
to me, what stands out to me. That's where Christ was crucified.
John Bunyan, in one of his books, he speaks about those Jerusalem
sinners. I mean, what sin could be more
aggravated? What sin could be worse than
crucifying the Lord Jesus Christ? Can you imagine one? And yet it was to sinners. You
began there in Jerusalem. And no doubt many of those who
a few days before had cried out, crucify him, crucify him, away
with this man. that on the day of Pentecost,
many of them were saved. The gospel is for sinners, for
sinners. Words of that hymn Joseph Hart
wrote many years ago come to my mind. Let not conscience make
you linger, nor fitness fondly dream. Come now, come now. The gospel is for sinners. We
could just find some people who are lost, not halfway lost, not
partly lost, but lost. Jerusalem sinners, double-died
sinners. There's mercy with the Lord.
Look to Christ. All the fitness He requires is
to fill your need of Him. That's it. Do you feel your need of Christ
today? Do you feel your need because of your sin, your uncleanness,
your wickedness? All the fitness He requires is
to fill your need of Him. Oh, begin at Jerusalem. Begin
at Jerusalem. The third thing, those who come
to Christ invite others to come. You see that in verse 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.
You know, it's just something that is so. When those Leopards,
when they went out there into that camp and they found all
that food and everything they needed, they were starving, they
were perishing, and they went in and they got some food and
they got some other things and they said, this is not good. It's not good that we keep this
to ourselves. People are starving inside the
city of Samaria. We've got to go and tell them.
And it's just so. that when one beggar finds a
piece of bread, he's ready to tell another beggar where he
can find a piece of bread. The gospel. I say in John chapter
1, when Andrew came to the Lord, the first thing we find that
he did, he found Peter. And Philip, next, the first thing
he did, he took out and he found his brother Nathanael. We have
found the Lord. It's just as natural as breathing.
When God saves a sinner, we want to share that. We want to tell
others. We want to let others know. what
we have found in Christ. We found peace. We found rest. We found hope. We found love. We found forgiveness. We found
everything that we need in Christ. And then the fourth thing that
stands out to me is the word flow. You notice the word flow. and all nations shall flow unto
it." The word flow, we think of rivers that flow. And I thought
about this, that rivers, sometimes they flow swiftly, and then sometimes
they flow slowly. But there's a constancy. And
sometimes, in the history of the church since this day, there's
been awakenings, There have been revivals, and many people have
flowed into the church. But all along, there has been
a constant flow of God saving His people. All that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. And the magnet, what draws men? He said, I, and if I be lifted
up, And he was, he was lifted. I shall draw all unto me. The magnet, the gospel, the person
and work of Jesus Christ. And you know, the last thing
that stands out is in Revelation chapter five. John saw some singing
the song of redemption from every kindred, tongue, people, and
nation, just like this prophecy declared. Now let me close with
this third thing. The church would be blessed with
peace and usefulness. Verse four. And he shall judge among the
nations and shall rebuke many people,
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. You know,
some believe that this must be materially fulfilled. And we
know that this hasn't been. In fact, the Lord Jesus Christ,
he said, you shall hear wars and rumors of wars, See that
you be not troubled, the end is not yet, for nation shall
rise against nation. But I say unto you this morning
that what this verse tells us, it speaks to us of peace and
usefulness. That's what I say. It speaks
to us of peace and usefulness. We're not going to need the sword
anymore. What's the sword used for? For war, for battle. And this I know about peace. Every child of God, therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God. We're reconciled
unto God. And number two, we have peace
in our conscience, sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ.
We have peace in our conscience. Our sins are gone. And number
three, we are peacemakers. Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall see God. And then usefulness. Notice what
these swords are beat into or made into, plowshares, pruning
hooks. God's people are useful people. The Lord Jesus Christ said, you
are the salt of the earth. You know what salt was used for?
It was to stop putrefaction, wasn't it? And this world, my
friends, it is because of God's people in this world, just letting
our light shine, that this world isn't even worse a cesspool than
it is. And I'm convinced one of the
reasons we see things going as we do today is because there
are less believers today than there has been in the lifetime
of many of us. And what we see is society corrupting. You see it every day, don't you?
More and more corruption. Why? Because our Lord said, if
salt is lost its savor, it's good for nothing. Good for nothing. God's people are useful to this
world. I pray that God would bless this
word to each one of us here today.