The sermon text provided below is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.

The title of my sermon this morning is A Covenant with Death and a Precious Cornerstone.
I would encourage especially the young people to follow along in your sermon outline.
You’ll notice a number of key words you can be listening for today, five of them in particular,
the words scoffers, trust, foundation, judgment, and mercy.
Well, my dear friends, misplaced trust can cost you your life.
There’s many ways to illustrate that principle, but let me give you a hypothetical example.
Let’s say that you’re a hiker, and let’s say that you decide one day to take a hike in the deep forest
on an old trail that is rarely hiked anymore, a trail that is practically abandoned.
And on this abandoned trail, you come across an old wooden footbridge that crosses over a deep ravine.
Now, as far as you can tell, you’ve been over many of these footbridges.
As far as you can tell, this footbridge appears to be solid and sound and stable,
perfectly capable of holding up your weight.
However, in front of the bridge, there’s an old, large, weather-beaten sign warning hikers not to use the bridge,
which the sign declares to be unstable, even dangerous.
Now, let’s say you look at the bridge, you read the sign, and then you look back at the bridge.
And once again, it appears to you to be completely stable and intact.
It seems like a perfectly stable and safe bridge.
You even step onto a few of the planks at the entryway onto the bridge,
and those planks seem perfectly solid and capable of holding up your weight.
And so with this information in mind, you come to the conclusion that this weather-beaten warning sign
at the entry point of the bridge must be an outdated sign, must be no longer relevant.
After all, you can see with your eyes the bridge looks fine.
And so therefore, you decide to trust in your own powers of observation
and your own assessment of the bridge’s condition, and so you begin your journey across the footbridge,
eager to get to the other side, eager to continue your hike into the deep woods.
But sadly, you will not reach the other side. You will plunge to your death.
For a while to the naked eye, this footbridge appears to be solid and stable.
What you don’t realize is that much of the wood on this bridge is actually rotted out from within.
You can’t see it with the naked eye, but it’s rotted out, and it’s a very unstable bridge.
You trust in your own powers, or I should say, your trust in your own powers of observation
would prove to be tragically misplaced in that particular situation.
Your trust in your powers of observation would be tragically misplaced.
Instead, you should have trusted the warning sign.
In spite of the fact that this sign was old and weather-beaten and appeared to be outdated,
you should have trusted the warning sign.
Well, dear ones, in our passage for this Lord’s Day morning,
the Holy Spirit through the prophet Isaiah confronts the religious leaders in Jerusalem in Isaiah’s time,
and these religious leaders, as we learned a couple of Lord’s Days ago,
are ones who had scoffed at the word of the Lord that Isaiah had communicated to them.
And so Isaiah confronts them once again, and in our passage for today,
he confronts them in particular with their dangerously misplaced trust.
You see, instead of trusting in Yahweh, their faithful covenant-keeping God,
instead of trusting Yahweh to deliver the land from the international threat posed by a potential Assyrian invasion,
and instead of heeding the word of the Lord to them through the prophet Isaiah
with an attitude of trust and repentance and openness,
instead of that, they trusted in the political and military alliance with Egypt
that they had forged in order to ward off the Assyrian threat.
That was the historical context here.
And this political alliance with Egypt was an alliance which Isaiah describes here,
perhaps in the words of these religious leaders themselves.
He describes it in verse 15 as a covenant with death.
Beloved, in this passage, the Lord warns these scoffers that their covenant with death,
in which they repose so much confidence, was a covenant that will not indeed be allowed to stand.
He confronts them with the reality that their political alliance with Egypt
cannot be relied upon to hold back the looming threat of a Syrian invasion.
For trusting in pagan Egypt is as futile as trusting in necromancy or idolatry.
For to trust in pagan occultism, to trust in idolatry, is to trust in lies and falsehood.
The language of verse 15 brings this out.
It says, because you have said we have made a covenant with death and with Sheol,
we have an agreement, when the overwhelming whip passes through, it will not come to us,
for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter.
Sometimes in the scriptures, idolatry and occult practices,
pagan practices like those, are described as lies.
False idols, false gods are a lie. They are falsehood, and so forth.
So friends, again, in contrast to the scoffers, misplaced trust in their political alliance
with pagan Egypt, in place of this futile covenant with death,
the Lord God promises to lay a tested, trustworthy foundation in Zion.
That foundation is described in verse 16 as a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation.
And so as we will see, this precious cornerstone ultimately refers to the promised Messiah,
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
So as we dive into our text for this morning, I would have you notice first of all
the futility of the scoffers’ misplaced trust.
The futility of the scoffers’ misplaced trust.
It says this in verse 14.
Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, use scoffers.
Again, notice the word Lord is in all capital letters.
That’s Yahweh, the covenant name of God.
It has in view God as a faithful redeemer, covenant-making, covenant-keeping God.
Hear the word of Yahweh, use scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem.
Who are these scoffers?
Well, they’re described in this verse as those who rule the people of God in Jerusalem.
And when we look at the larger context of this passage,
we notice that these scoffers are in fact the religious leaders of Jerusalem,
described as the priest and the prophet, whom Isaiah had referred to back in verses 7 to 13.
And remember, a couple of Lord’s days ago, I preached on this.
Remember that these religious leaders, these priests and prophets, are described as scoffers.
They are described as denigrating the word of the Lord that came to them through Isaiah.
And how do they denigrate the word of the Lord?
They basically say in verse 10,
For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.
In modern lingo, it would be like saying, oh, Isaiah’s words are like blah, blah, blah.
That’s all it amounts to.
So these leaders are scoffers, and yet the Lord directs his word even to them,
calls them to awaken from their stupor and to heed his word.
Now, we read that these leaders are scoffers in our passage for today.
Let’s pause for a few moments and consider the scriptural status of scoffers.
Let’s consider briefly what the scriptural testimony tells us about scoffers and about the sin of scoffing.
Now, of course, the Bible indicates that we are all sinners.
Romans 3.23, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
But sin manifests itself, of course, in a variety of ways in the lives of different individuals.
We’re all sinners, but different sinners with different personalities and inclinations and so forth
sin in different ways.
And it’s interesting, of all of the variations of sinners that exist in the world,
the scoffer is presented in the scriptures as one of the worst types of sinner.
That’s not to say that scoffers are beyond hope.
The Lord in his sovereign grace is capable of turning a scoffer into a submitter,
into one who fears and trembles at the word of God and repents of his or her scoffing.
But nevertheless, those who persist in scoffing at the word of God and thus the God of the word
are described very negatively in the scriptures.
And just to give a brief sampling of the scriptural view of the scoffer,
let’s turn to Proverbs chapter 1, verse 22.
Proverbs chapter 1, verse 22.
Let me start reading at verse 20.
What you hear is the Lady Wisdom crying out in the streets.
Wisdom cries aloud in the streets.
In the markets she raises her voice.
At the head of the noisy streets she cries out.
At the entrance of the city gates she speaks.
How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
Notice, by the way, that the scoffer and the fool and the simple one,
these are different ways, different angles of describing the same kind of individual.
Obviously, a very negative picture is given of the scoffer in that verse.
And staying in Proverbs, if you turn ahead to Proverbs chapter 29 and look at verse 8,
it says this in Proverbs 29, verse 8.
Proverbs set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.
And then, of course, we think of the Psalm that is the gateway into the Psalter, Psalm 1.
In Psalm 1, verse 1, how is the blessed man described by the psalmist
in the opening entryway Psalm to the book of Psalms?
It says, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor does what?
Nor sits in the seat of scoffers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
And so we see that being a scoffer is not a good thing to be in the estimation of Holy Scripture.
And here, these are religious leaders in Jerusalem that are being described here as scoffers.
They should have known better.
They should be among those who delight in the law of God and meditate on his law day and night,
but apparently they don’t.
In fact, they scoff at the word of God.
And so we see in our passage for today the misplaced trust of the scoffer.
We see that laid out for us in verse 15.
Let’s take a look at that verse in our passage for today.
Because you have said, we have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have an agreement.
When the overwhelming whip passes through, it will not come to us.
For we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter.
Now it’s pretty clear that Isaiah is putting at least some of these words in the mouths of these scoffers.
He’s basically drawing out the implications of their covenant with death,
and although the scoffers themselves might have used this to say,
hey, look, death, Sheol, that’s not going to touch us.
We’ve made a covenant with death.
Well, what is this covenant with death?
Well, some are of the view that this covenant of death and agreement with Sheol
is referring specifically to pagan practices like necromancy or idol worship.
Now certainly it is quite possible that the religious leaders in Jerusalem at that time
were involved in some form of religious syncretism of one sort or another,
syncretism being worshiping other gods alongside of worshiping Yahweh the Lord.
However, while this may be the case, in light of the historical background
and in light of the context of this passage,
I agree with those scholars who view this covenant with death
as a political alliance that these leaders had made with the land of Egypt
in the hopes of warding off a looming military invasion by the Assyrian armies.
Instead of trusting in Yahweh for their political deliverance and salvation from the Assyrians,
they were trusting in the military might of pagan Egypt,
and that misplaced trust on the part of these religious leaders
exposes them as being hard-hearted in their unbelief and impenitence.
And so the Lord warns them of overwhelming judgment
that is coming against the scoffer in verses 17 and following.
If you skip down to verse 17, the Lord says this,
and I will make justice the line and righteousness the plumb line.
The line and the plumb line, that has to do with the standard of measurement here.
I will make justice the line, righteousness the plumb line,
and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.
Given the historical background of Isaiah’s day,
this reference to hail and overwhelming waters, flood waters,
is obviously, I believe, pointing to the overwhelming power of the invading Assyrians
that threatened Jerusalem at that time and the whole land of Judah,
as well as the northern kingdom at that time.
And then he goes on to say,
Then your covenant of death will be annulled.
You have so much confidence in this political alliance with Egypt,
you’re trusting in pagan Egypt to deliver you
when you should be trusting in Yahweh, your God, to deliver you.
For the Lord was indeed the king and head of his people.
Remember that Old Covenant Israel was a covenant of theocracy,
and God was literally the king in Israel.
They should have trusted their own king.
They should have walked with him in repentance, faith, and obedience,
but they didn’t.
They hardened their hearts against the Lord.
They went after other gods.
They compromised, and they mocked and scoffed at the word of God.
In contrast to the injustice and unrighteousness
that these scoffers had manifested in their own treatment of the people,
Yahweh would judge them by his own standard of true justice and righteousness,
and the Lord will sweep away the refuge of lies,
meaning their trust in Egypt by using the Assyrians,
and later on in covenant history, the Babylonians,
as his instruments of judgment against his faithless people.
And then we read this in verses 18 and 19.
Then your covenant of death will be annulled,
and your agreement with Sheol will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge passes through, he’s mixing metaphors.
He talks about a hail, he talks about floodwaters,
he also talks about a scourge passing through.
Again, he’s obviously speaking of the Assyrian military threat.
He says, you will be beaten down by it.
And it’s not just going to be a quick judgment.
It’s going to be ongoing, as it says in verse 19.
As often as it passes through, it will take you,
for morning by morning it will pass through by day and by night,
and it will be sheer terror to understand the message.
This is not just some brief temporary judgment.
This is going to be a judgment that has ongoing ramifications.
God’s judgment would be overwhelming and of long duration.
Now, as we consider, beloved, the misplaced trust of the scoffer,
we learn from passages like this.
Well, first of all, notice that we see here
that there is moral accountability for the scoffer.
Even scoffers have an objective obligation to hear,
believe, and submit to the Word of God.
After all, who does the Lord through Isaiah address in verse 14?
He addresses these scoffers who had mocked Isaiah’s words as
blah, blah, blah, line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little, and so forth.
But he says, therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
You see, friends, the rebellious state of the human heart
does not absolve the rebel sinner from his or her obligation
to hear, to believe, to receive, submit to, and obey the Word of God.
The Word is objectively true and authoritative
and binding upon the conscience,
and that is true whether or not you believe the Word of God
is true, authoritative, and binding.
It is, objectively speaking, true, authoritative, and binding,
and it’s binding upon all whether or not the one who hears it
trembles at the Word or scoffs at the Word.
What about us?
Do we, dear friends, do we tremble at the Word of God
with a holy reverence and a firm trust in the Lord
who has so graciously spoken His Word to us in the Scriptures?
Do we scoff at the Word or do we tremble at the Word?
May we, by the grace of God, place our faith
in that which is foundational and trustworthy,
the Word of the Lord, and not misplace our faith
in that which is not the Word.
We also learn here that the scoffer’s trust is misplaced
because it ultimately rests upon the Word’s works
and clever schemings of finite sinful man
and upon the ever-changing cultural norms of a godless society
rather than being founded upon the sure and certain Word of God.
The scoffer is ultimately a fool,
even though many scoffers may be highly intelligent,
well-educated, and so forth,
but they are biblical fools, beloved, because they put their trust,
they build their lives on the unstable shifting sands
of mere human wisdom rather than upon the solid rock foundation
of divine truth revealed through the prophets and apostles
in the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God.
Oh dear ones, may we place our trust upon God
and His unchanging Word and not upon the shifting sands
of mere human opinion or custom or norms, merely human norms.
And that leads me to my next point.
We’ve seen the Lord through Isaiah confront these scoffers.
We’ve seen their misplaced trust, their covenant of death,
their alliance with Egypt would be destroyed,
judgment would come upon them, but here’s good news.
We learn next of the messianic foundation laid in Zion.
In verse 16, we learn of the messianic foundation
laid by the Lord in Zion.
Therefore, thus says the Lord God,
Behold, children, what does that word behold mean?
That word means pay attention.
That word means this is important, don’t miss this.
Behold, the Lord says,
I am the one who has laid a foundation in Zion.
And that foundation is not Egypt.
That foundation is not something, is not mere human strength.
It’s not the power of the horse, it’s not the power of the sword,
the power of politics, no, the Lord says,
I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion a stone,
a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation.
And then we hear this wonderful promise,
whoever believes will not be in haste.
If your faith is misplaced,
then it causes anxiety when you realize it.
But if your faith is in the Lord, you will not be in haste.
You will be firm and settled and steady.
The Lord says, I have laid a foundation.
Now in contrast to the misplaced trust of the scoffers
in their covenant of death, covenant with death,
here Isaiah points us to the sure and certain foundation
of the Lord’s Zion.
And here Zion is referring to the Lord’s faithful remnant people.
In the context that would seem to be what he’s referring to.
And that sure foundation is described as a precious cornerstone
of a sure foundation.
As I hope to show in a few moments,
this is clearly referring to the promised Messiah,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
But we read of a number of stones here in this verse.
We read of a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone.
And what about the first reference to a stone, a tested stone?
Now some believe that this tested or testing stone
may refer to what is called a top stone or a capstone.
In the words of one commentator,
it may well refer to a top stone shaped by the master mason
for placing at the end of the whole building process,
so forming a test of trueness of line for the whole edifice.
And it goes on to say, if the prophecy is truly messianic,
then it is eschatological.
And if eschatological, then the idea of a capstone
is most apt, most appropriate.
But whether or not it is the case that this particular
specific figure of speech, this figure of the tested stone
is to be understood as a capstone or a foundation stone,
at the same time, it is also the case that Isaiah
is clearly using the imagery of a foundational cornerstone
here in this verse.
And since this is a messianic prophecy,
it is certainly legitimate to view Christ, our Savior,
as both the foundational cornerstone
and the eschatological capstone of His elect Church,
the true Zion.
Christ is the foundation and culmination
of redemptive history.
He’s the cornerstone and He’s the capstone.
He’s the Alpha and the Omega.
And He is the foundation and the culmination
not only of redemptive history, generically considered,
but brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jesus Christ, our Lord, is the foundation
and the culmination of our redemption,
our eternal salvation.
Praise be to God.
Now, it’s interesting, in verse 16,
the Lord says, I am the one who has laid
a foundation in Zion.
In verse 16 of our passage for today,
the stone is distinguished from the Lord Himself.
And yet, if you go back to Isaiah, chapter 8, verse 14,
we see that the Lord Himself is presented
as the sanctuary and stone of His people.
Let’s just go back quickly to Isaiah, chapter 8,
and let me quickly read verses 11 through 15.
It says in that passage,
For the Lord spoke thus to me with His strong hand upon me
and warned me not to walk in the way of this people,
saying, Do not call conspiracy all that this people
calls conspiracy, and do not fear what they fear,
nor be in dread.
But the Lord of hosts, Him you shall honor as holy.
Let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.
And He will become, notice verse 14,
He will become a sanctuary and a stone.
The Lord Himself will become a sanctuary
and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling
to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Now in this context here,
the Lord as the stone is the stumbling block
of those who do not believe in Him,
whereas in our passage for today,
the Lord lays the foundation for His elect Zion,
His true people.
But here again, how do we square,
how do we harmonize these different emphases?
Is the Lord Himself the tested stone,
or does the Lord lay the tested stone,
the precious cornerstone?
Well, friends, the Lord is both identified
with this stone and yet also distinct from it.
How do we explain that?
Well, the best explanation is Jesus Christ.
Think about Christ, think about the person of Christ.
It is only in Jesus, the promised Messiah,
that this stone imagery finds its ultimate fulfillment.
For with respect to His divine nature,
our Lord Jesus Christ is indeed fully divine.
He is God, He is the divine stone,
the rock of our salvation,
and yet with respect to His human nature,
He is distinct from God.
And even within the Godhead, the person of the Son,
the eternal Son, is distinct from the person of God the Father,
though they share fully in the one divine essence.
And so, friends, the point is that this stone imagery
is in line with the reality that Jesus is the Godman,
the Word made flesh, Emmanuel, God with us.
And this stone imagery is in line with other Messianic prophecies
that we find even in Isaiah itself.
If you go back to that famous passage in Isaiah 9, verse 6,
which is often reflected upon in the Christmas season,
what do we read about the Messiah
in this Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 9, verse 6?
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.
So the Messiah is going to be a human child,
a human son that is born.
And yet it goes on to say,
And the government shall be upon His shoulder,
and His name, the name represents who He is in His being,
in essence, His name shall be called what?
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
The Messiah is both man and God, true man, true God,
united in one divine person.
And therefore the Messiah is Himself the stone, the divine stone,
and He is the stone that has been laid by the Father
for our salvation.
And so, and furthermore, when we compare Scripture with Scripture,
we see that the Word of God clearly and frequently identifies Jesus Himself
as this Messianic cornerstone.
We see that, we saw that from the passage I read earlier
from 1 Peter chapter 2.
Let’s just look at a couple sample passages that reinforce this.
One of them being another Messianic prophecy that we find
in the passage that I opened up this service with today,
Psalm 118 verses 22 through 24.
It says in that passage, this is a Messianic prophecy.
It’s recognized as such throughout the New Testament.
The stone that the builders rejected, that’s Jesus.
The builders, the religious leaders rejected Him.
The stone that the builders rejected has become what?
The cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing.
It is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
The Apostle Paul also quotes from our passage today in Romans chapter 9.
Let me read Romans 9 verses 30 to 33.
In that passage we read these words.
It says, What shall we say to this?
What shall we say then?
That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it.
That is, a righteousness that is by faith.
But that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness
did not succeed in reaching that law. Why?
Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works.
They have stumbled over the stumbling stone as it is written.
Guess what he quotes? He quotes from our passage for today.
Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,
and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.
Again, to remind you of the passage I read earlier in the service
from 1 Peter chapter 2.
Let me just read verses 4-6 of that passage.
It says this, As you come to Him, speaking of Christ,
coming to Christ, as you come to Him, a living what?
A living stone rejected by men, but in the sight of God,
chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones
are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
For it stands in scripture, and these words should sound familiar,
Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone,
chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.
So what are we to do with this information?
Christ is the stone. He is the rock of our salvation.
He is the precious cornerstone.
We need not rely on a covenant of death that would be misplaced trust,
but we can rely upon Christ, for on Christ the solid rock
we stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
What are we to do with this information?
Well, I think Jesus puts it well in Luke 6 verses 46-49.
In Luke 6 verses 46-49, Jesus says the following,
Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I tell you?
Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them,
I will show you what he is like.
He is like a man building a house who dug deep
and laid the foundation on the rock.
And when a flood arose, the stream broke against the house
and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man
who built a house on the ground without a foundation.
When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell,
and the ruin of that house was great.
Are you building your faith and life on Jesus Christ
as the rock of your salvation,
or are you building your life on sinking sand?
And that leads me to my final point briefly.
We learn here that we see here scoffers warned and exhorted.
Scoffers here are warned and exhorted.
In verse 20 it says,
For the bed is too short to stretch oneself on,
and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
You know, I read this verse,
and the one thing that comes to mind,
you who are married will get this,
is what I call the battle for the bed sheet.
Maybe you are familiar with that.
I don’t know about you folks, but when I get in bed,
I love to wrap the covers around me.
I like nice and tight.
But sometimes my wife, half asleep,
will turn over and try to drag the sheets from me,
and I am told that I do the same thing.
You know, she is settling down, drifting off to sleep,
and all of a sudden I turn over and take half of the bed sheets with me.
It is an uncomfortable thing not to be fully covered at night,
especially if it is cold in the room.
It is also an uncomfortable thing if you are sleeping on a mattress
that is not long enough.
Maybe you are a tall person and your feet hang over the front of the mattress,
and maybe you can sleep if that is the case,
but I can’t sleep unless my feet are under the covers.
But here we, and obviously this is not what Isaiah is directly talking about,
but he is saying, he gives an illustration.
He says, for the bed is too short to stretch oneself on.
It is not big enough.
It is not big enough to rest in, to find comfort in.
And the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in.
What is the point he is making by this illustration?
The point he is making is that the scoffers’ alliance with Egypt,
their covenant with death,
will be insufficient to provide them with true protection.
With true rest.
It will be futile.
And then he goes on to say in verse 21,
For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perizem,
as in the valley of Gibeon he will be roused.
Now, those are historical references to events in redemptive history
where God came to the rescue of his people,
where God, the divine warrior, comes and he fights for his people
by bringing judgment against their foreign enemies.
But now we are told that the Lord is about to do something strange, unusual.
It says the Lord will rise up as he did in days of old against your enemies,
but he will rise up to do what?
To do his deeds.
Strange is his deed.
And to work his work.
Alien is his work.
And what is that strange deed, that strange work?
The strange deed is that the Lord,
instead of judging the foreign enemies of God’s people,
is going to turn his judgment upon them because of their faithlessness,
their unbelief, their impenitence.
And then it goes on to say,
Now therefore, this being the case, this warning being the case,
therefore, what’s the conclusion?
Do not scoff lest your bonds be made strong.
Don’t make it worse.
Stop your scoffing.
For I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord God of hosts
against the whole land.
In other words, beloved, the scoffers are commanded to stop their scoffing
and are warned of the dire consequences if they continue unrepentant
on the road of scoffing.
This is a warning of destruction that would not only impact themselves,
but will be against, we are told, the whole land.
He says the Lord God of hosts is against not just you scoffers,
not just you religious leaders, but against the whole land,
or as the NASB translates it, on all the earth.
Let them turn from their misplaced trust and mockery at God’s word
and let them in faith and repentance finally heed the word of the Lord.
Oh dear ones, in conclusion,
may God give all of us the grace to avoid sitting in the seat of scoffers
as the psalmist speaks of in Psalm 1 verse 1.
Let us avoid the rotting bridge of misplaced trust
lest we plunge into the abyss of eternal ruin,
instead, by the grace of God, may we trust in the crosswork of Christ
as the only bridge that can help us to cross the chasm,
that can bring us through the dark forest of this present age
into life eternal.
And may God give us the grace to be able to say and sing from our hearts,
on Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground, is sinking sand.
And may he give us the grace to sing and pray to the Lord Jesus
in the words of our closing hymn that we’re going to sing in just a moment.
Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.
Amen. Let us pray.
Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank you, Lord God,
that Christ is the rock, solid source and foundation of our salvation,
indeed, on Christ the solid rock we stand.
Give us the grace to build our lives and our faith upon him
as he is revealed in your word.
And may we be those, Lord, who tremble with joy at your word
and not those who scoff at it.
May we receive it, may we rest upon it, may we rest upon Christ,
for he is the one revealed in the word.
In Jesus’ name we pray, and all of God’s people said, Amen.
We close our time.