Posted on 03/02/2004 12:34:37 PM PST by sheltonmac
Covenant Theology: The Mission of the Church
(Part 2 Sermon Number Twenty-two)
by
James E. Bordwine, Th.D.
Introduction
This sermon continues our examination of the mission of the Church, which is the third point in our Overview of the Doctrine of the Church. As we began our study of the mission of the Church, I mentioned that there is a principle that must be kept in mind if we are to discern what it is that the Church is supposed to be doing and what it is that Christians can expect for the Church in the years ahead. The principle is this: The mission of the Church is rightly understood only within the context of the mission of Jesus Christ. I stated before that we cannot separate the mission or objective of the Church from the mission of Jesus Christ. The Church is meant to function only in relation to Jesus Christ; the purposes of Christ and the Church are identical; the mission of the Savior and His Body are the same.
Following this principle, I then spent some time showing what Jesus came to do and how His mission is being carried out through His Body, the Church. We looked at Adam's fall and how Christ, as the Second Adam came to be the Head of a redeemed humanity, a humanity that would keep the mandate originally given in the Garden of Eden. By becoming a man and making atonement for sin, Jesus Christ was able to restore man so that the effects of the fall can be reversed. In and through Christ, the Church, the new humanity, is asserting Her God-given right to rule against the evil forces that have infested God's creation by taking the message of man's redemption in Christ to the whole world. Christ's purpose as the Last Man was to restore harmony between God and man and to enable man to subdue all things for God's glory. In union with Christ, man can be what God made him to be; God's design is restored and brought to completion in Christ.
If we want to understand the mission of the Church, then we must understand the mission of Jesus Christ, the Second Adam. The Church is His body and He works through the Church even now as He resides in heaven with His Father. When the Bible describes the coming of the Savior into the world and what would occur as a result of that advent, it is describing the mission of the Church. The Church is going to be the means whereby the many things said about the ministry of Jesus Christ are realized in history.
03. The Mission of the Church (continued)
As I noted in the last sermon, the Bible contains many passages that give us a picture of what impact the coming of Christ is going to have as time marches on. One such passage that is typical of others in the Old Testament is found in Isa. 2:
1 The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Now it will come about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. 3 And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.
I want to begin by explaining the context of this passage. The first chapter of Isaiah's prophecy serves as an introduction to the whole book. The writer begins by bringing charges of rebellion against the people. They have broken the covenant with their God and he warns them of an inevitable judgment. Isaiah's words are sharp as he accuses Judah of abandoning the LORD and despising the Holy One of Israel (cf. 1:4). The people are sick, declares the prophet, and they have been badly wounded by the LORD's chastisement, but they refuse to repent (cf. 1:5, 6). The land is desolate, the cities have been burned with fire, strangers are devouring the crops; only the mercy of the LORD had prevented the people from being obliterated, writes Isaiah (cf. 1:7).
Isaiah stands before this sinful people and cries, “Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the instructions of our God, you people of Gomorrah.” (1:10) The very use of these terms, Sodom and Gomorrah, should reveal to us the pitiful moral condition of the people of God at this point in history. A fierce judgment hangs above them as God's man declares the LORD's rejection of their sacrifices and the abomination of their worship (cf. 1:11 ff.). And in the midst of this recitation of the people's sin, God calls them to repentance and expresses His tender mercy and His willingness to cleanse them and bless them once again (cf. 1:16 ff.). The last thing that the prophet mentions in the opening chapter is God's intention to purify His wayward people and to establish justice in Zion. This is the background against which the encouraging prophecy of 2:1-4 is given.
Chapter two begins with a prediction concerning the reign of the Messiah and then presents the first part of a warning against the rebellious people of Judah. It is interesting to note that the first prophecy of Isaiah deals with God's intention to exalt His people and make the Church the dispenser of truth for all the nations of the earth. This ties in with the theme of the whole book of Isaiah, which is God's intention to bring salvation to the world through His Servant, Jesus Christ. Isaiah 2:1-4, therefore, is a brief presentation of God's plan of redemption as it is taught in this book.
Before we look at these verses in some detail, I want to emphasize that this prophecy is not about the Jews as a nation, it is about the covenant people of God. It is about what God would do for His people through the Messiah who was promised at the point of man's fall in the Garden of Eden. In Isaiah's day, the covenant people of God were restricted to the nation of Israel. Isaiah uses various terms and figures that were part of that age to convey truths about the age of grace that would dawn with the coming of the Messiah.
For example, Isaiah speaks of “Judah,” “Jerusalem” and “Zion,” which were geographical designations for the people of God in his day, and uses them to indicate a future of blessing and glory for the Church. How do we know that Isaiah's references to Judah, Jerusalem and Zion are to be understood in this way? We know this because of additional revelation. These terms are used in several places in the Old Testament where the focus is not upon a geographical location, but upon those covenant people of God who inhabited those locations. In other words, these terms, “Judah,” Jerusalem” and “Zion” were synonyms for the covenant household of Jehovah (cf. Psa. 2:6; 48:11; 60:7; 78:68; 97:8; 102:13; 108:8; 114:2; 147:2, 12; 149:2). Most convincing, however, is the use of these same terms by the writers of the New Testament; they use “Judah,” “Jerusalem” and “Zion” to identify the people of God who now are found in every nation upon earth (cf. Rom. 9:33; Gal. 4:26; Heb. 8:8; 12:22; 1 Pet. 2:6; Rev. 3:12; 14:1; 21:2; 10).
Regrettably, some have failed to see the unity of the people of God and have proposed schemes of Biblical interpretation that lead to a misunderstanding of passages like Isa. 2:1-4. When we read these verses, we are reading a prediction of what would happen in the world as a result of the coming of the Messiah; we are reading a prediction of the role of the Church in the period of history associated with the coming of Christ and His subsequent exaltation to the right hand of God. These words of Isaiah the prophet are exciting and encouraging; they give us a perspective on the Church that is sorely needed in a day when Christians have such little regard for this Body. The picture that Isaiah paints is far from what is commonly believed in the Church today. And, as I've indicated previously, misunderstanding the mission of the Church leads to all kinds of organizational and ministry-related problems.
In preparation for our examination of these verses, I want to offer an overview of this passage. These verses, as I've said, concern the state of the Church and the world at some distant time. According to Isaiah, the Church will be exalted and will be at the center of the world's attention. The nations of the earth will stream to the Church to learn about the ways of God; the chief concern in those days will be the Word and righteousness of God. This glorious situation was, of course, in sharp contrast to the people of God in Isaiah's time. This prophecy indicated what God intended to do through His people and thus highlighted their present miserable and rebellious condition.
The prophet begins with this declaration: “The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.” (v. 1) It is interesting to note that Isaiah describes this prophecy as “the word” which he saw. This manner of speaking may sound strange to us if we are not familiar with the modes of revelation used by God to communicate through His prophets. What is meant by Isaiah is that God allowed the prophet to see in his mind's eye what would come to pass; this vision constituted a revelation from God to His people, which Isaiah expressed in words. Sometimes, the prophets of God simply relay what they've been told; in this case, Isaiah relayed what he had been shown.
The subject of this vision of the future is specified by the prophet: “concerning Judah and Jerusalem.” In other words, Isaiah's vision had to do with the future of the people of God. This prophecy is concerned with what would happen to those who, because of the covenant of grace, were related in a saving way to God in the Messiah. This passage deals with what would happen to God's redeemed at some time subsequent to the giving of this prophecy. Of course, a question occurs to us at this point: When in history is the prophecy to be fulfilled? As we read this wonderful description of the nations of the earth coming to the people of God for instruction, we have to be curious about when in human history this is going to come to pass. It certainly was a future event from Isaiah's perspective. The nation of Israel was not serving as the world's teacher at this time; in fact, the nation that had the knowledge of God was steeped in sin and idolatry. Israel was in no condition to instruct the nations in righteousness, but was in need of repentance.
Notice that the prophecy itself identifies the period in history that is being described: “Now it will come about that in the last days...” (v. 2) I'm sure that I don't need to remind you of the attention that has been given to the phrase, “the last days,” in our lifetimes. According to those who have the ear of the Church on this issue, “the last days” is a period that is future even to us. But we must ask, Is this a Biblical understanding of the term? Does the Bible itself identify that time known as “the last days”? Modern writers in this particular area of doctrine would have us believe that the last days is a designation for the time period in which this present generation lives; they claim that the last days commenced only recently and that we are rapidly moving toward the end of time as we know it. But, again, we have to ask: Does the Bible support this teaching? Answering this question is crucial to a right understanding of this passage and, consequently, a right understanding of the mission of the Church.
The question of when in history Isaiah's prophecy is to be fulfilled is easily answered. The term, “last days,” is an Old Testament description for the time of the Messiah (cf. Jer. 49:39; Hos. 3:5; Mic. 4:1); it refers to the period that began with Christ's advent and concludes with Christ's second coming. So, “the last days” is the period that began when Christ walked upon the earth and ends with His glorious return at which time history comes to a close. New Testament writers clearly understood the term “the last days” in this sense as is indicated in Acts 2:17; 2 Tim. 3:1; 2 Pet. 3:3. In each case, the writer uses the term “the last days” as a designation for the period of history that commenced with the first advent of the Savior.
There is one New Testament passage above all others, however, that confirms this matter. In Heb. 1, we read: “1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.” Obviously, the writer of Hebrews uses the phrase “in these last days” as a designation for the portion of history that began with the first coming of Jesus Christ. This means, therefore, that we have been living in the last days since the first century. It is during this period that Christ accomplishes and applies His atonement; it is during this period that the Church, as His Body, is at work in this world preaching and teaching the gospel and its implications.
The last days are not confined to a few brief years just before the second coming of Christ; they cover all of history from the birth of our Savior to His triumphant return. The last days covers the period from the Church's founding, as we have it explained in the New Testament, to the Church's triumph in time and space over all rivals through the preaching of the gospel. The last days is the time when Christ is working through His Church to call all the elect and assemble them into one glorious and holy Body.
This is the period with which Isaiah is concerned in this prophecy. Isaiah is giving us a description of what is going to happen between the advents of Jesus Christ. Having answered the question of “When?”, therefore, we now are ready to ask something else: Just what does Isaiah predict? In general, as I've said, Isaiah speaks of the exaltation of the people of God, the Church, to a position unparalleled in history. Let's consider the next statement in v. 2: “...The mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills...” From other parts of the Old Testament, we learn that “the mountain of the house of the Lord” is that place where the Temple rested; it is Mount Zion. That mountain represented the God of the nation of Israel, the God who had delivered them from bondage in Egypt and who had promised to bring great blessings to the world through them. Isaiah uses this bit of familiar imagery to predict that the day will come when, figuratively speaking, God's mountain, God's dwelling place, will be raised far above all others to indicate His singular power and glory and prestige.
Here is where a simple fact that is known to all of us becomes significant. Is God now associated with a literal Temple as He was in the time of Isaiah? Since the coming of Christ, does God still confine His covenant presence to a particular place? We know that God no longer associates Himself with a literal Temple, but dwells in the temple of His people by the Holy Spirit.
“Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”, Paul writes in 1 Cor. 3:16. “[W]e are the temple of the living God; just as God said, 'I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.'”, he also says in 2 Cor. 6:16. In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle also wrote: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:19-22) And Peter said: “[Y]ou also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet. 2:5)
The place where God dwells is in the hearts of His redeemed people by His Holy Spirit; the place where God dwells is the Church. When Isaiah talks about the dwelling place of God being “established as the chief of the mountains,” he is predicting the future exaltation of God's redeemed people. The “mountain of the Lord” is the Church of Jesus Christ. It is this “mountain” that will come to dominate the “landscape,” so to speak. Isaiah's words, therefore, can only be interpreted as a prediction of the eventual elevation of the Church and Her teaching above all rivals throughout the world. According to this prophecy, Biblical religion will one day cover the earth; false religions will be relegated to positions of unimportance.
The mountain of God “will be established,” the prophet declares. The word translated “established” means “to be stable, firm, set up, fixed, secure, enduring.” This term conveys the idea of the continuing endurance of something once it is founded. Isaiah teaches that, during the period of history between the two advents of Christ, the Church of God will become increasingly obvious in the world and She will become increasingly influential in the world as more and more people are converted to Christ and begin living according to Biblical standards. Take note of what the prophet says at the end of v. 2: “And the nations will stream to it.” What a wonderful and exciting image! Isaiah relates this vision of the Church of God elevated above the landscape and the people in the nations of the earth are making their way to Her to be taught about the ways of God.
This coming inclusion of all the nations of the world in the blessings that had, up to Isaiah's time, been confined to the nation of Israel, must have seemed almost unbelievable to the people of Judah. At the time this prophecy was given, Israel hardly could be considered great among the nations and the thought that God's people would be expanded around the globe must have appeared unlikely. But the prophet says that the day is coming in which the knowledge that had been revealed to Israel, the knowledge of God's plan of redemption, would be made known to all the nations of the earth. And it is the declaration of that message and its acceptance throughout the world that Isaiah depicts in these verses.
The third verse confirms what already has been said. I've stated this before, but let me emphasize what will happen as the nations of the earth turn to the Church. The prophet says that the Church will teach the nations the ways of God; the Church will instruct the world concerning God's will and His Word will be the standard for all people. This is what is meant, I believe, by the phrases, “that we may walk in His paths” and “the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” This is, of course, nothing less than what happens when a sinner is regenerated and, thereafter, seeks to know and do the will of God. The difference between what we have experienced and what Isaiah is predicting simply is a matter of scale. He is telling us that the conversion that we have experienced and have seen take place in others is gradually going to be the norm throughout the world.
The prophet adds that the Lord “will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples...” (v. 4) Again, Isaiah writes of the reception and application of the gospel on a world-wide scale. God's Word is to become the standard by which nations conduct themselves. An individual who is saved seeks to learn and do the will of God; a family does the same thing and so would an entire saved community. I want to say again, therefore, that Isaiah is describing the gradual conversion of the nations. According to this prophecy, the day will come when the majority of the world's population will be born again and that naturally will lead to the kind of peaceful and enjoyable existence that Isaiah depicts. The remainder of v. 4 spells out just what will be the result, externally speaking, of this gradual world-wide conversion to Christianity: “And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears in pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.”
One of the fundamental products of the gospel is peace. The Bible teaches that the converted sinner has peace with God and, as an outward manifestation of this spiritual peace, he has peace with other men. If the gospel were to be embraced by the world's population, then Isaiah's description of the cessation of war is entirely believable. War results when men covet and give expression to their rebellious natures; war results from a refusal to be ruled by the Creator and to accept whatever the Creator gives in His wise providence. When the world comes to be rightly related to the Creator in Christ, then war will be a thing of the past. Man will give his attention to the pursuit of the mandate given in Gen. 1:28. This is represented, I believe, in the statement regarding the exchange of weapons for domestic tools or those instruments that are necessary for the cultivation of the earth.
I also want to point out that the harmony that will characterize those days is indicated by the statement, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord” in v. 3. This gives us the impression that people will be lovingly compelling one another to learn of the Lord; they will be concerned about one another and will seek to bring others to the knowledge of the truth. Once again, let me state that what Isaiah is describing simply is a larger, more expansive example of what happens in the life of every sinner who is born again. He seeks to tell others of his experience and he develops a genuine concern for the lost. If conversion were to take place on a national and even world-wide scale, then the image produced by Isaiah is not hard to accept.
Before moving on to the application, I want to answer three questions that are bound to arise in your mind as you consider this interpretation of Isa. 2:1-4. First, am I suggesting that the day is coming when every last person on the face of the earth will be converted? The answer is “No.” What I believe Isaiah is describing is a time when the majority of the world's inhabitants are born again Christians to the extent that one could declare that the nations are following Christ. Isaiah is predicting the ultimate reversal of our present situation where most of the people of the world are not believers. As the gospel is preached and the Spirit of God works in the hearts of sinners to bring them to faith, this age that Isaiah pictures will become a reality.
Second, am I suggesting that there will come a day, prior to the second advent of Jesus Christ, when the world will be free of sin? The answer again is “No.” When a sinner is converted, sin ceases to be his master, but sin does cease to be present in his flesh. Even if the gospel were to be embraced on a world-wide scale, as the prophet predicts here, the same thing would have to be said concerning sin. The majority of the world's people might be born again, but they will not be rid of sin entirely until their glorification. Therefore, Isaiah is not describing a sin-free world, he is describing a world in which the gospel has triumphed on a grand scale in the same way it triumphs in each of us on a smaller, individual scale.
Third, is this “Christianized” world to appear suddenly? The answer is “No.” As I have said several times in this sermon, Isaiah tells us of a process whereby the Church becomes more and more influential in the affairs of this world because more and more men are being converted. Eventually, perhaps over many generations, the condition described by Isaiah will be achieved. A simple comparison of the first century with our own confirms that this is, indeed, how God is working in history. The gospel that was unknown when Jesus went to the cross now is present on every continent and it continues to be preached and the Holy Spirit continues to bless the labors of the Church.
There are other passages to be consider in this all-important portion of our study, of course, but I need to bring this sermon to a close by offering some application based upon Isaiah's prophecy.
Application
In the application, I want to take a few minutes to emphasize the importance of aligning our vision with the vision of God. In this prophecy, God reveals a glorious and thrilling future for the human race; He reveals the increasing influence of the Church to the point that Her message of salvation is known and embraced throughout the world. As we learn of what God has ordained for the us, as we come to understand what He intends to do for the world through His Son, there are several principles that become apparent. These principles have to do with how we relate to God, how we view our purposes in life and what we expect of God. Bringing our vision into line with what God has revealed in His Word is going to produce some changes in our thinking.
The first principle is that the purposes of God cannot be evaluated based solely upon current conditions. In the matter of the ultimate disposition of the gospel and the work of the Church, it is foolish to take one small slice of time and draw grand, far-reaching conclusions concerning the eternal and sovereign purposes of God. We are sure to misinterpret the plan of God if we limit our perspective to those few brief years during which we walk on this earth. What perspective do you suppose the average Jew had on the plans and purposes of God based upon the condition of the nation when Isaiah gave this prophecy? Don't you imagine that there were few, if any, who would have heard the prophet's words and said, “Yes, that's what I expect; that's what I believe God is going to do”? On the contrary, most of the Jews would have looked at the deplorable condition of the nation and drawn a different conclusion.
This means that we have to be careful about rushing to judgment concerning how history will end and what the Church will or will not accomplish based upon an examination of our present circumstances. This means that wise Christians step back and evaluate the work of Christ through His Church over a period of centuries instead of a period of a few years. This means that the way we live and the decisions we make for our families will be influenced less by the uncertain and often changing circumstances of our daily lives and more by that certain and changeless standard, which is the Word of God.
This bring me to a second principle, namely, that the Word of God must be our ultimate point of reference. Isaiah's prophecy of a great and blessed future for the people of God came, as I stated, in the midst of a moral low point for the Old Testament saints. The people who first heard this prophecy did not live to see its fulfillment. Nevertheless, this prophecy was given by God and it was meant to reinforce the dependability of God's promise to Adam that He would send a Redeemer. It was not wishful thinking that gave Isaiah's words their power, and it surely was not the present condition of the nation of Israel. What gave this prophecy its authoritative character was the fact that Isaiah's words were those of a sovereign God who raises up and tears down, a God who does what He pleases among men, a God who is not bound by the whims of His creatures. This prophecy was the word of the Lord and that fact alone made it believable; that fact alone made Isaiah's prediction a certainty.
We who live so many centuries after Isaiah need to be careful to maintain the ultimate authority of the Word of God in our minds as we look around us, as we see all the books rolling off the presses telling us that the end is near. No word is to be received unless it agrees with the Scripture; no prophet is to be heard unless his words ring true to the Bible. Perhaps one of the things that is needed more than any other today is for Christians to pick up their Bibles and read them. We live in a time when Christians are listening to many voices, a time when we have many points of reference. This explains the confused condition of the Church and the fact that we spend so much time trying to figure out what we are supposed to be doing and how we are supposed to be doing it. When the Word of God is upheld as our ultimate standard and when everything else, regardless of where it comes from or who says it, is measured against that Word, then the Church finds Her path and remains steady in Her pursuit of the Kingdom of Christ.
A third principle that comes from Isaiah's prophecy is that sin is no hindrance to the purposes of God. Sin will, indeed, hinder our participation in the great things God is doing and will do in the days ahead, but sin will not keep God from fulfilling the promise He made to Adam. God will redeem the human race and He will do it in a way that will bring glory to the blessed Trinity. We often are guilty of underestimating the power of God. We look around at the culture in which we live and we are about ready to throw up our hands and surrender because we think things have gone so far that salvation is impossible. Have we forgotten that God raises the dead? Have we forgotten that God calls into being that which does not exist? Shame on us for thinking that God is unable to keep His Word. We have a God who cannot be defeated, a God who is served by all of creation. This God will be honored in the salvation of the world.
When the Church is in such sad condition, it is easy to discount the passages in the Bible that speak of a glorious future for Her. We can always say, “Well, look at the Church, look at the world; we can't seriously believe that God is going to cause all nations to turn to Him for salvation.” When the Church is passing through a dark time, it is easy to look for other explanations of these passages, explanations that fit our low expectations of ourselves and the Church. But the poor performance of the Church at any given time in history is no basis for judging the validity of God's promises. We have the promise of God, spoken in Eden, renewed numerous times with the patriarchs and finally realized in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That promise is the redemption of the human race and it is a good as done.
Conclusion (preparation for the Lord's Supper)
The sacrament of the Lord's Supper is one assurance that God will keep His Word. This sacrament reminds us that what was necessary for the redemption of the human race has been accomplished by the Savior. He removed all obstacles to the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy by paying for our sins and establishing His Church, which even now is broadcasting the good news of salvation to the nations of the earth. We should count ourselves blessed to be alive in a day when the gospel is so readily available, a day in which technology enables the Church to reach around the earth with the saving message of Jesus Christ.
Our observance of this sacrament is, indeed, a celebration. It is a celebration of the beginning of the last days, that period during which our great Savior and King is applying His holy blood to the people of the earth. It is a celebration of the sure outcome of the last days, which will be the conversion of the nations. It is a celebration of the certain return of our beloved Lord Jesus when these days are ended.
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