Our Lord Jesus is the Righteous Branch. Isaiah explains what His ministry will achieve
Isaiah 13
The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
2 On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter
the gates of the nobles.
3 I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.
4 The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together!
The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.
5 They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, the LORD and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!
7 Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every human heart will melt.
8 They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another;
their faces will be aflame.
9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.
10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light;
the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.
11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity;
I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
12 I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.
14 And like a hunted gazelle, or like sheep with none to gather them,
each will turn to his own people, and each will flee to his own land.
15 Whoever is found will be thrust through, and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.
16 Their infants will be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished.
17 Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them, who have no regard for silver
and do not delight in gold.
18 Their bows will slaughter the young men; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; their eyes will not pity children.
19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
20 It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.
21 But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell,
and there wild goats will dance.
22 Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces;
its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.
Things to think about…
In Isaiah 13 Babylon’s fall is prophesied. Babylon would destroy Jerusalem, but a time was coming when Babylon would also be destroyed and be under the judging hand of the Lord. This occurred in 539BC by the Medo-Persian empire, Isa 13:17. This would ultimately bring about the restoration of Jerusalem under king Cyrus who Isaiah would go on to prophecy about in Isa 44, 45.
While this is a prophesy regarding the fall of Babylon, Isa 13:9ff there seems to be a more global response. Isaiah refers to the “Day of the Lord”. The stars, sun and moon are mentioned, vs 10 as well as judgement coming upon the whole world vs 11. We know in Rev 19 there is also a judgement on the global system and Babylon is represented as the city where there are abominations committed that will be judged. This chapter alludes to that final judgment which is more than regional but global.
The final judgement will be so horrific that there will be very few members of humanity left as is described in Isa 13:12. The end of days on the earth will see humanity disregarded, vss 13-15 where even babies and women will be afforded no mercy, vs 16. We have seen this in Israel recently.
In Isa 13:17-22 we go back to the picture of ancient Babylon. Babylon was never to be inhabited again. Saddam Hussein had tried to rebuild the city in 1987. But was removed from power by the Americans in the Iraq war 2003. Babylon continues to remain vacant testifying to Isaiah’s words, vss 19-22.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Life groups Wednesdays. Ric Benson will be looking at the life of Christ in the church.
Pastor Jay has started the young adult’s life group after Sunday mornings café time. Open discussion around difficult topics and defending our faith is the focus.
Prayer Points
1. Tad and Glenys still recovering from operations.
2. New people that they are welcomed into church life.
3. Those who are considering baptism.
4. Church finances to cover all expenses.
5. Pray for of Kids@Church, Life groups and church community days.
6. The conflicts in Haiti, Israel and Ukraine. Praise for the peace of Jesus to reign.
7. Mathys has a prayer time at church on Monday afternoons. He would be happy for you to join him and to send prayer requests.
8. That we be bold in our witnessing for Christ. Pray for a heart to see those around you to be saved. Pray for the blessing over the new pastoral care and hosting program.
9. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. More visitors on Sunday, pray that they are encouraged.
2. Continue to pray for Tad to gain strength at home. Continue to pray for Glenys as she now has a splint to gain full use in her left arm. This is very frustrating for Glenys as you can imagine. It has been many weeks and she is desiring relief. Any encouragement you can give will be greatly appreciated.
3. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Working Bee – Saturday March 23rd 8am to 12pm. Please sign the jobs task sheet.
2. Life Groups Wednesday night at Church – 6:30pm.
3. Young Adults apologetics Life group after the service – 25th Feb 2024.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for March...
Q. 18. What did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies? A. He gave them souls that could never die.
