December
4, 2019
Text: Isaiah 2:1-5
The
Prophet Isaiah preaches the glorious reality of the Church to us tonight. He lifts the veil to show us what is true of the
holy Christian Church already now, in a hidden way, and what “shall come to
pass in the latter days” (Is. 2:2; ESV), that is, be manifest on the Last
Day, when Jesus comes again in glory.
The Church is the mountain of the House of the LORD. In the Old Testament, that was the Temple
mount in Jerusalem, Zion, the location of God’s gracious presence for His
people, where, by His sure Promise, they always had access to Him for help and
salvation, where they were formed for faithfulness by His Word, and where the
blood sacrifices ever pointed to the atonement God Himself would make for their
sins through Messiah. All of this is
fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ, who, in His body, is the new and greater
Temple, the dwelling place of God with man, the Word made flesh who tabernacles
among us (John 1:14), true God, true man, our High Priest, the sacrifice of
atonement for our sins by His death for us on the cross. And now, risen and living, He dwells with His
Church. He tabernacles with us who are
baptized into Him, in the preaching of His Word and in the eating and drinking
of His body and blood. The Church is the
mountain where the LORD Himself is present.
It is the location… not the building, but the people, the congregation,
gathered around Him in His gifts… the Church is, now, in the New Testament, the
location of God’s gracious presence for His people where we always have access
to Him for help and salvation, where our sins are forgiven, where we are formed
for faithfulness by His Word, and the blood Sacrifice is fed to us by the Lord,
who is Himself that Sacrifice.
Now,
in this life, the Church does not appear to be the highest of the
mountains. Far from it. She is weak.
She appears to be shrinking. In
our culture, she is regarded as outdated and insignificant, a relic of the past
to be ignored. She suffers persecution
from worldly kingdoms that appear to be stronger and mightier mountains than
she could ever dream of being. Within,
the Church is full of sinners who are really good at sinning against one
another. There are fights. There are controversies. Bitter words are spoken. Relationships are broken. It is rather incredible that we confess with
a straight face in the Creed our belief in “one holy Christian and apostolic
Church.” It is not easy to be the
Church. Ours is a life of faith, not
sight.
But
in spite of all appearances, we are told here in the Promise proclaimed by
Isaiah, that the nations flow to this mountain.
“Come, let us go up,” they say, “to the mountain of the LORD.” And why?
“(T)hat he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths”
(Is. 2:3). It doesn’t look like the
nations are busting down the doors here at Augustana and clamoring for a
seat. But that isn’t actually the
Promise. The Promise is fulfilled as the
Gospel is preached to all nations, including right here in Moscow, and to the
very ends of the earth. And the amazing
thing is, as that Word is preached, the Spirit is active. He is bringing people to faith in
Christ. He is bringing them into the
Church. He’s uniting the people to one
another, in spite of their sins, as one body, the Body of Christ. This is all so hidden from our eyes that we
forget, we fail to take note of the way our Lord is faithfully doing what He
says. His Word is never impotent. It never returns to Him empty, but always
accomplishes the purpose for which He sends it (Is. 55:11). The nations come “that he,” that is,
Jesus, “may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” Which is to say, they come for the
preaching. It is the Word that brings
the people in. It is the Word that
unites them as one. This is so different
from human wisdom and all the man-made techniques prescribed by the Church
growth experts and denominational bureaucrats.
They’re not coming for what we have to offer. They’re not coming because we’re such an
exemplary group of righteous people.
They’re coming for Jesus. They’re
coming for His Word.
And
His Word goes out from this place. “For
out of Zion shall go the law,” not “law” like “Law as opposed to Gospel,”
but “Law” as in Torah: Teaching, instruction, Law and Gospel, the
Word that imparts Christ, who is Himself the Word made flesh. Out of Zion shall go the Torah, “and
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (v. 3). And as that Word goes out in preaching, He,
the Teacher, the Torah in the flesh, Jesus, judges. Now, this already happens in the Church,
among the baptized. We are already
judged: Righteous, on account of Christ.
Sins forgiven. And in terms of
issues we may have with one another in our life together, insofar as we are
still in this fallen flesh? These are
also judged in the sense that the judgment is given by the Scriptures. We know that which is right. We know that which is wrong. We can differentiate. We have the instruction. And we have the forgiveness of sins that
Jesus has given us to extend to one another.
This is so important in a Church full of sinners. We must bear one another in patience. We must forgive one another’s trespasses. In the Church, love must cover over a
multitude of sins. And all of this can
be the reality… no, not perfectly in this fallen world and in our fallen flesh,
but it can be the reality… because of Jesus, who is our peace.
But
all of this is ultimately pointing to that time to come when the New has
arrived in all its fulness and the old has passed away completely. What is already true of the Church in a
hidden way, known only to faith, will on that Day be revealed to all and known
by sight. Christ will come. He will appear. He will raise the dead and give eternal life
to all His believers. Then we will see
with our risen eyes the nations as they flow to Him, the Church in all her
glory, made up of those from every nation, tribe, people, and language (Rev.
5:9, etc.). We will see them gather
around the Lord as He pronounces the Judgment: Righteousness and life to all
those who believed in Him, guilt and damnation to all who did not receive His
salvation by faith. We will rejoice with
the throng singing His praise around His throne. And we will live in peace. The Kingdom has come. No more swords and spears. No need for weapons. Plowshares and pruning hooks are our panoply
as we tend the fruitful fields. No
war. No violence. No sorrow.
No death. Only perfect peace,
perfect Shalom. In Jesus, the
risen Lord.
It
all hinges on Jesus and His three-fold Advent.
It all hinges on His coming in the flesh to be our Savior by His death
and resurrection. It all hinges on His
preserving us by His continual coming to forgive our sins and give us life in
the Word and Sacraments. It all hinges
on His coming again in glory to reveal all that is now hidden, to exalt the
mountain of the House of the LORD above all the other would-be mountains, to
make all that is wrong and bad, good and right again.
The
Church of Advent is the Church that waits in joyful anticipation for these
things to be revealed. Like children,
waiting for Christmas. Isaiah preaches
the Promise this evening to sustain us. And
so he admonishes us: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of
the LORD” (Is. 2:5). His Word is a
lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Ps. 119:105). We walk in His light as we gather here on the
mountain, in the Church, to be taught and fed by Him. And that is what keeps us alive. And His light will not deceive us. Though we follow Him through the valley of
the shadow of death, He will lead us by His light into eternal life and peace. Come, let us go up to the mountain of the
House of the LORD, to His Church, to His Table, and finally, to His heaven and
resurrection life. In the Name of the
Father, and of the Son (+), and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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