August 24, 2025

Pastor Horton

Isaiah 66:18-24

If you happen to be a lover of movies, you may be familiar with something called the ‘Spielberg face.”  It’s a look one of his characters gives at a pivotal moment as the camera may slowly zoom-in to their startled expression.  Sometimes the character is experiencing sudden shock, or remembering their past, or finding humanity in that moment within themselves or another person.  You can find this close-up filming technique in Spielberg movies such as Jurassic Park the first time the main characters see the dinosaurs, or in Saving Private Ryan as a veteran thinks back to his wartime experience, or in Indiana Jones as Indy turns and realizes a giant boulder is now rolling directly towards him.  That’s the face.  It’s a look of “Whoa.”

You can’t help but wonder if the audience Isaiah is writing to is filled with wonderment and “whoa” at these words.  God is proclaiming his will to save in a far reaching way: extending grace beyond the Jewish believers to all Gentiles and to all people.  In our verses, God is speaking about both the New Testament times in which we still live and even beyond that to eternity.  

How did we arrive at this point in the book?  Previously in Isaiah, the people were told about their coming deliverance from Babylon and about their redemption thanks to the Lord’s Servant, Jesus.  This, the final chapter in Isaiah, begins with a remarkable moment, for we are told that Zion, the holy mountain of spiritual Jerusalem, is about to give birth.  And here’s a moment to stop and say “whoa,” as right around verses 7-8 as soon as she feels labor pains she gives birth to children.  The picture is this: with great ease the Lord will deliver the New Testament church from the Old Testament church and advance his gospel of salvation.  And we have seen such moments come true in the book of Acts as 3,000 were baptized on the day of Pentecost thanks to the work of God the Holy Spirit.  Swift and effective is the work of our Lord!  And mighty is this spiritual city for God dwells within her.  Up go the banners over the city walls proclaiming: comfort and consolation, banners of pardon and peace are raised.  

Not so for those who stand opposed.  Woe, spelled “W” “O” “E” is theirs.  Listen to this leadup to our verses….verse 15, “ Look, the Lord will come like fire, and his chariots like a whirlwind, to pour out his furious anger,” verse 16, “For the Lord will bring judgment on all flesh,” verse 17, “Those who try to sanctify themselves…together they will be swept away, declares the Lord.”  Those who are unfaithful and who are not amongst the believers will be judged and will be destroyed.  They will be “thrown outside” the city of God says Jesus in our gospel reading, where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” for eternity.  Listen to God in verse 24 as we are given a glimpse into hell, “They will go out, and they will see the corpses of the ones who were rebelling against me, for their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched, and all flesh will be horrified by them.”  Dead and yet still suffering in pain and in fire for eternity!  That is shocking “woe!”

What’s more alarming, is because of our sinful nature, you and I should be found among those corpses.  The fall into sin kicked all of humanity out of that perfect relationship with God.  Eliminated is any natural “right” you or I think we might have to the glories of heaven.  And yet we still find in ourselves that inbred notion of sanctifying ourselves: “What’s the magic key to unlock heaven that I can accomplish?  Keeping my name on the membership books?  Giving a couple of bucks to a local charity?  Maybe scaling back one or two cuss words from my often ripe vocabulary?  Surely then God should take my efforts into account!”  But the fervent works of our desperate hands, the occasional good will of our fallen minds, and the emotional wants of our selfishly polluted hearts can not ever do enough or be enough to be sanctified and be able to make ourselves holy, and pure, and spotless.  We can not be perfect as God in his righteousness demands.  

And yet today, do not despair, for you and I can look at this text and still say “Whoa,” “W” “H” “O” “A”.  For God has been at work through Jesus to gather all nations that many might hear and believe and see God’s glory.  We can not help but say “Whoa” as we look at our reading with a “Spielberg face” at the great and gracious saving work of our God.  Verse 19, take note as God says: “I will set up a sign among them, and I will send out survivors from among them to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, to those who are archers, to Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands, who have not heard my message and have not seen my glory.  Then they will declare my glory among the nations.”  And we have seen this sign carried out even within the first generation of believers following Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension.  The gospel would go to these locations in Spain, North Africa, Asia Minor, Greece, and various Mediterranean islands just as God said it would hundreds of years prior through Isaiah.  Even though all rightly deserved to be destroyed, God would not have that happen.  His gospel message has been mobilized to save souls.

And his word does not return to him empty, but accomplishes his desires.  “Then they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering…to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, in the same way that the people of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel to the Lord’s house.”  No longer will Jewish believer look down on Gentile believer, but rather brothers and sisters from all across the globe will be converted and brought into spiritual Jerusalem according to God’s guiding hand – cleansed and found acceptable for service thanks to the blood of Jesus.  The Word of God accomplishes a return – and the thank offering of souls are placed at Jesus’ feet.  

In fact, our reading continues, “Even from among these people I will take priests and Levites, says the Lord.”  And we have seen that haven’t we?  God calling and installing leadership in his Church on earth from every continent and people group.  “Gentile priests” may have sounded strange (even offensive) to the Old Testament reader, but here is God’s promise to provide for the continued advancement of the gospel by equipping and training those very same redeemed souls for service from all over the world.  

What’s really a “Whoa” is that the continued fulfillment of this prophecy given through Isaiah has been taking place right here at Eastside.  The New Testament church has been continuing forward under the direction of God the Holy Spirit for some 2000 years.  In just over a month from now we are about to celebrate 100 of those 2000 years here at Eastside: as we have seen God’s gracious hand here in our families, in our congregation, and in our community.  100 years out of 2000 years?  That’s 1/20 or 5% of the timeline of the New Testament church (so far) finding fulfillment right here among you.  That’s 100 years of proclamation, declaring Jesus as the only way to heaven, the truth, and the life.  That’s 100 years of baptisms into God’s family.  100 years of Jesus’ body and blood distributed to us for the forgiveness of sins.  100 years of young men and women standing before God as they are confirmed in their faith and publicly declaring they will remain faithful even to death.  100 years of marriage vows before (and sustained with the help of) the Almighty.  100 years of resurrection joy while hosting Christian funerals here as we wiped away our tears and looked forward to heaven through Jesus.  And as our reading shares, 100 years of equipping pastors, teachers, and church leaders for kingdom work, educating our youth in the Word which makes them wise for salvation, and making ready our congregation for a lifetime of service to Jesus.  We have witnessed 1/20 of this prophecy has happened right here.  Whoa!  And in a month we’re going to praise God for it!  

What’s next?  Well, God gives us a peek ahead to the future in verses 22-23, “For just as the new heavens and the new earth that I am making will remain standing before me, declares the Lord, in the same way your offspring and your name will stand.  As often as one new moon follows another and one Sabbath follows another, all flesh will come to worship before me, says the Lord.”  It’s been said that “the church on earth now is but a courtyard for the glorious eternal mansions in heaven.”  The strict and rigid timeline for celebrations the Old Testament church once had will one day flow endlessly and joyfully in eternal worship and praise.  And the heart of God in Jesus?  He encourages us to continue today to share this precious gospel, for he wants others to join the many who will be home in heaven on that day.I don’t know if when you heard our reading you actually made a Spielberg face this morning and said “Whoa”.  Maybe, but probably not.  In the movies those are big, amazing moments of realization.  On our day of grace today, I’d still encourage you to consider these words and, in faith, recognize what God is sharing with us about his heart, his great ability to save, and his incredible desire to have many more (and to have you) in that eternal city of heaven all thanks to Jesus.  Amen.