The Lord Jesus is the King of the Earth. He is a Saviour, but also a Judge. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. As Isaiah tells us, He is a consuming fire.
Isaiah 33: O LORD, Be Gracious to Us
1 Ah, you destroyer, who yourself have not been destroyed, you traitor, whom none has betrayed! When you have ceased to destroy, you will be destroyed; and when you have finished betraying, they will betray you.
2 O LORD, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.
3 At the tumultuous noise peoples flee; when you lift yourself up, nations are scattered,
4 and your spoil is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; as locusts leap, it is leapt upon.
5 The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,
6 and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is Zion's treasure.
7 Behold, their heroes cry in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
8 The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases. Covenants are broken; cities are despised; there is no regard for man.
9 The land mourns and languishes; Lebanon is confounded and withers away; Sharon is like a desert, and Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 "Now I will arise," says the LORD, "now I will lift myself up; now I will be exalted.
11 You conceive chaff; you give birth to stubble; your breath is a fire that will consume you.
12 And the peoples will be as if burned to lime, like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire."
13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge my might.
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: "Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?"
15 He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppressions, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil,
16 he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.
17 Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty; they will see a land that stretches afar.
18 Your heart will muse on the terror: "Where is he who counted, where is he who weighed the tribute? Where is he who counted the towers?"
19 You will see no more the insolent people, the people of an obscure speech that you cannot comprehend, stammering in a tongue that you cannot understand.
20 Behold Zion, the city of our appointed feasts! Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an untroubled habitation, an immovable tent, whose stakes will never be plucked up, nor will any of its cords be broken.
21 But there the LORD in majesty will be for us a place of broad rivers and streams, where no galley with oars can go, nor majestic ship can pass.
22 For the LORD is our judge; the LORD is our lawgiver; the LORD is our king; he will save us.
23 Your cords hang loose; they cannot hold the mast firm in its place or keep the sail spread out. Then prey and spoil in abundance will be divided; even the lame will take the prey.
24 And no inhabitant will say, "I am sick"; the people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity.
Isaiah 34: Judgment on the Nations
1 Draw near, O nations, to hear, and give attention, O peoples! Let the earth hear, and all that fills it; the world, and all that comes from it.
2 For the LORD is enraged against all the nations, and furious against all their host; he has devoted them to destruction, has given them over for slaughter.
3 Their slain shall be cast out, and the stench of their corpses shall rise; the mountains shall flow with their blood.
4 All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree.
5 For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.
6 The LORD has a sword; it is sated with blood; it is gorged with fat, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams. For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah, a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
7 Wild oxen shall fall with them, and young steers with the mighty bulls. Their land shall drink its fill of blood, and their soil shall be gorged with fat.
8 For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
9 And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch.
10 Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever.
11 But the hawk and the porcupine shall possess it, the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. He shall stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.
12 Its nobles---there is no one there to call it a kingdom, and all its princes shall be nothing.
13 Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches.
14 And wild animals shall meet with hyenas; the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; indeed, there the night bird settles and finds for herself a resting place.
15 There the owl nests and lays and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow; indeed, there the hawks are gathered, each one with her mate.
16 Seek and read from the book of the LORD: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate. For the mouth of the LORD has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them.
17 He has cast the lot for them; his hand has portioned it out to them with the line; they shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.
Things to think about…
Isaiah 33 is one of those encouraging passages for those who long for the Lord’s presence, deliverance and salvation. Jerusalem had known and still knows affliction from enemies. But the promise is that “he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness,” Isa 33:5. This is the heart desire for all those who love Christ’s presence and purpose for His people. “He will be the stability of your times”, Isa 33:6. This is a promise for the children of Israel, the church and the individual believer.
Some only know the Saviour through religion not relationship, they have been born in a family of faith or are part of a faith community, but do not know Him. Such was the case for some living in Zion. These were residents of Zion without a relationship with their Saviour. As such Isaiah asks the question “Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?", Isa 33:14. Jesus says those who knew much, much is required, Luke 12:48. Only the Holy Spirit can turn a sinner into a saint. The consuming fire pours His judgment upon Christ and not the one who has been forgiven.
Those who know their God, Isa 33:15 shall be provided for and protected by the Lord, vs 16. These ones shall see the Lord, vs 17. We know His as Jesus and will see Him face to face. We will be with Him in Jerusalem when He returns and the oppressing nation (Eg Assyria) who counted tribute to be paid, vs 18 will be no more. There will be a pure language. This is like a reversal of the tower of Babel, Gen 11. The Lord will give a pure speech and Mt Zion and Jerusalem will be a place that is well watered, a place of streams and rivers, Isa 33:19. Unlike today where it is still dry and barren. This will be a time and a place where there will be no illness. No one will say “I am sick”, Isa 33:24 and sin will be forgiven. All these promises will be fulfilled when Christ returns. May it be soon Lord God!
How will this deliverance be achived? It will come about through the judgement and destruction of rebellious nations, Isa 33:2. Terefore the nations are called to draw near, hear and be attentive, Isa 34:1. This is why we often pray before hearing the message, “Give us ears to hear and eyes to see”. There will be a judgement on the earth, Isa 34:3, but also on the rebellious demonic legions that work against the kingdom of Christ being established on the earth as well as in heaven, Isa 34:4.
The Lord had said “Jacob I have loved, but Esau (Edom) I have hated”, Mal 1:2-4. Like the prophet Obadiah who would come after Isaiah, the land of Edom would be judged. Isa 34:6-17 is a graphic picture of the judgement upon Jacob’s brother. The Edomites did not let the children of Israel pass through their land along the king’s highway to enter the land of Canaan, Num 20:14-21 . They also slaughtered infants and oppressed those who were taken captive by the Babylonians in 586/7 BC, Ezek 35:5. As such they and their cities would be judged. Here Isaiah likens them to the world and other nations that do not listen or take note of the Lord’s counsel. Edom is desolate today. The city of Petra is a tourist attraction, but much of the land is desolate and sparsely inhabited. Animals do inhabit the land of Edom today as prophesied by Isaiah, Isa 34:11-15.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
For Cell Groups.
Reading was from Isaiah 25:1-9 Title “Death, You’re done”
1. Death entered the world through sin, Rom 12:5. Jay mentioned that even enjoyments of this world have limitations because of this reality. What do you think?
2. Babylon and Nineveh were the head quarters of the superpowers in the ancient world. These cities have been desolate for many hundreds of years as prophesied. Jerusalem and Mt Zion is the chosen place where the Lord will establish His kingdom. This began with Christ’s work on the cross. Death has been defeated. What is your understanding as to how Jesus achieves this for us, Jerusalem and the earth?
3. Isaiah says that every tear will be wiped away, Isa 25:8. The Apostle John also mentions this in Rev 21:4. This is because of His salvation given to His people, Isa 25:9. What does your salvation mean for you and the way you live
4. Pray for each other, our church and the prayer points.
Prayer Points
1. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
2. Victorian parliament has passed the anti-conversion bill. Making it illegal for Christians to counsel and pray for gay people even if they seek after a Christ centered identity. There are so many grievous points to this bill. Pray for Victoria.
3. Ministries as they have started back – Kids at Church.
4. Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
5. Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times.
6. The 2 positions:- Youth and Young Adults Coordinator and Children’s Coordinator we are recruiting for in 2021. Pray Recharge can start back soon.
