ISAIAH 602008 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Isaiah 60

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2008. To the word this evening, we're looking at God's promise.

To Zion, the mountain that Jerusalem is built upon is Mount Zion. It's the core, really, of Israel and God's plan for Israel. And here in Isaiah chapter 60, we have God speaking to Zion and promising the future.

future glory that will come, the glory that he will be pouring out upon Zion and the way that he will be glorified through the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem in the millennial kingdom.

We start out in verses 1 through 3. It says, Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people. But the Lord will arise over you, and his glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Here as we start out in verses 1 through 3, again we have God speaking to Zion. When he says, arise, shine, for your light has come. He's speaking to Zion.

The city of Jerusalem, the mountain of Zion, the place where he has chosen to put his name, the place where he instructed for the temple to be built, the place where he has chosen to meet with his people. And it's really the central point, the geographical point of his plan for his people, the nation of Israel, as well as his plan for the world.

And we're looking really at something that takes place and something that he's speaking about in regards to the end times. Now I'll remind you, during the writing of this, as Isaiah is writing these things and prophesying these things, the nation of Judah is not really in a very good place. The nation of Judah...

At one time, Israel and Judah were joined and known as the nation of Israel, but they had split. One of them, the northern kingdom, Israel, departed from God and didn't seek the Lord, didn't want anything to do with God, and so they sought their own gods and worshipped their own gods, and they were destroyed during the ministry of Isaiah. Their kingdom was conquered. The southern kingdom that was left remained true to God somewhat, but

in outward form at least. We saw that last week. They continued to go to the temple and participate in the sacrifices, but the rest of their life as well was full of idolatry and rebellion against God. And so they were on a downward spiral. They continued to get worse and worse. They were in, at this point as Isaiah is writing these things, they were in very poor condition because they

of the whole land of Judah, really only the city of Jerusalem was left. All of the other cities, all of the other strong places had been conquered by Assyria. They were diminished to hardly anything at all. Now, just...

For picture's sake, if you need something to kind of compare this to, the nation of Israel that exists today is roughly the size, square mileage-wise, as the county of San Bernardino.

And so we're not talking about a huge nation, but it is, it did have a significant amount of people. If you remember when they first came into the land out of Egypt, there was a great multitude, but now they've been reduced to, it's just one city that is left. And so if you could imagine for a second, if California was attacked and all that existed left in the city or the county of Riverside was destroyed,

the city of Norco, it would be quite devastating if Norco was all that was left from here all the way to Arizona. The whole Riverside County was completely gone. It's a devastating state to be in and that's the state of Israel. At this point, as Isaiah is writing these things, it's just Jerusalem that is left. It's just the few that have survived the attacks of Assyria that are staying there in the city of Jerusalem.

And what is it that has caused them to be in this condition? Why is it that they're at this point of being broken down, of being beaten down, of being diminished to this extent? What has brought them this far? It's quite clear from the scriptures. God sent prophet after prophet telling them if they would turn to him, if they would repent, then...

He would relent. Then they wouldn't experience the judgment. The attacks that they experienced, the things that were happening to them, God specified over and over again, they were a direct result of their rebellion against God.

And so they're in this condition, they're in this situation by their own doing because they continued, although outwardly, as we saw last week, they were hypocritical outwardly and they still participated in the rituals at the temple. They did the sacrifices. They seemed to desire to know God and they searched His Word.

But they didn't practice it. They didn't walk in it. And they filled their life, the rest of their life, with idolatry and rebellion against God. And so they're in this situation as a direct result of their refusal to be obedient to God and refusal to worship God and God alone. But Isaiah is writing these things as they're in that condition. Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

He's speaking something that is going to happen in the future, when God's glory is going to be poured out upon Israel once again. He's speaking about end times and what we would specifically call the Millennial Kingdom. Right now, you and I are living in what we would call the Church Age or the time of the Gentiles.

And right now God is dealing with the church specifically. The church is the light of the world. The church is who God is pouring out His Spirit upon. And there's coming a point very soon that the church is going to be taken out of the way. We call it the rapture of the church. The church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And then we'll forever be with the Lord.

And at that point, as the church is caught up, at some point after that anyways, then the world that is left behind will go through a seven-year tribulation period. And this seven-year tribulation period is going to be a time, as it describes in verse 2, the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people. It's going to be a time of deep darkness. As the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth for that seven years,

The wrath of God is going to bring great destruction and devastation to the whole earth, not just a small portion, not just one area or another area, but the whole earth is going to experience this incredible tribulation. The book of Revelation deals with that period, that seven-year period, in great detail.

But after this seven-year tribulation, this time of great wrath, there will be a few who survive. There will be some who make it through the tribulation period. And those will go into the millennial kingdom. The millennial kingdom is what will be established by Jesus Christ. In fact, what ends the tribulation period is the second coming of Jesus Christ.

He comes again, not like He did in the rapture where we met Him in the air, but He physically and literally comes and sets foot on the Mount of Olives. He comes back to earth and He sets up a kingdom for 1,000 years. That's why it's called the Millennial Kingdom because it lasts for 1,000 years.

And during that thousand years, those who survived the tribulation period are going to go into the Millennial Kingdom and they are going to walk with God and serve God. They're going to repopulate the earth. The earth is going to be renewed. It's going to be a glorious time. But the center of that whole scene, the center of that whole Millennial Kingdom is going to be Mount Zion, the city of Jerusalem.

where Jesus Christ will establish His throne. It will be the center of everything.

And it's this time that Isaiah is speaking about, or rather God is speaking about through Isaiah, it's that millennial kingdom, the kingdom that is yet to come when His glory will be poured out upon Mount Zion. And He says, "'Arise and shine, for your light has come.'" Because there's going to be a great revival, a great renewal there in the land of Israel, and God is going to establish His kingdom. The glory of the Lord is going to be evident there.

It says there in verse 2, His glory will be seen upon you. There in verse 3, The Gentiles shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your rising. And so the rest of the world will be journeying to Jerusalem to see the glory of God, to see what God has done there with Mount Zion, with the nation of Israel and His people. But right now we do not see Israel in this condition.

At this point, as Isaiah is writing this, and even as we are looking at these things and reading these things today, Israel is in a state of rejection of God. But it's not a complete rejection, and God has not cast them off forever. God has this plan for them. Even though, as Isaiah is writing these things, they're in this situation because, well, it's by their own doing,

God has this plan for them. And this plan has not changed. He has this plan of glory for them to arise and to rejoice and to shine because of the light that God is going to bring. Even though they're in the situation now because of their sin, God still has this promise of glory.

You can read about it as well in Romans chapters 9, 10, and 11. As Paul the Apostle goes through these same things. There's many today who say that Israel has been cast off. God's never going to deal with Israel again. All the promises now relate to the church and so on and so forth. But it's not true. The reality is that just as God has promised over and over things throughout the scriptures and they've come to pass exactly as he has said...

This chapter and the many promises that God has given to Israel will come to pass. They are still going to be fulfilled literally. God's glory is going to be manifested. It's going to be brought forth in the land of Zion during that time. And so we have these wonderful promises, this glory that's going to come to Zion. It's a wonderful parallel as well as we look at these things.

It's a parallel of the glory that is going to come for God's children. It's not specifically what he's dealing with, but we can see pictures of it and we can make observations about the glory that God has in store for you and I as well as the land of Zion. Let's continue on in verse 4. It says,

Verse 6.

Verse 7.

All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you. The rams of Neboeth shall minister to you. They shall ascend with acceptance on my altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory. Here God continues to proclaim his promises to the land of Israel, to his people, to Mount Zion.

He says, lift up your eyes all around. They all gather together. They come to you. He speaks here of a regathering of the people of Israel. A regathering of the Jewish people.

Now we've seen that a little bit. We've seen it in part as now there is a nation called Israel. It did not exist for about 2,000 years, but today it exists. And there has been a regathering. There's been a repopulation. There's Jewish people living in the land of Israel.

But during the millennial kingdom, there will be even a far greater regathering of God's people. And so he says, lift up your eyes. They all gather together. Your son shall come from afar. Your daughter shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant and your heart shall swell with joy.

There's going to be a great rejoicing by the land, by the place that God has chosen to put his name as God's plan comes to fulfillment and the people of Israel are regathered back. But it's not just the Jewish people that are gathered to Mount Zion. He goes on to talk about the wealth of the Gentiles that will come.

The multitude of camels and dromedaries, which are the one-humped camels. I don't think I'm pronouncing it right, but there you go, what Larry said. So they're going to be regathered back. There's going to be much livestock. The land of Israel, the city of Jerusalem, the mountain Zion, is going to be...

And this is really the point of the whole chapter this evening.

And that is that God is going to pour out His glory upon Mount Zion. There's going to be a renewal. There's going to be this incredible work, this regathering, this repopulation, this restoration. There's going to be all these things that God has promised. And why is God doing this great work? Why is He making these promises?

Well, he's making these promises. He's going to do these things because as a result of his work in Mount Zion, as a result of his promises being fulfilled in Mount Zion, people will come to proclaim the praises of God. They will come to ascend his altar with acceptance. The glory that is brought upon the land of Zion is connected with worship. God is going to do this work

He's going to pour out His glory upon Zion. And He is going to be glorified by this work. It's like when you and I get saved. And God does a work in us. And then He gets the glory. He did the work. He poured out His glory on us. He's made us different. He's made us new. And then He gets praise. He gets glorified by the work that He has done. In the same way, in the land of Israel, it will be glorified.

Well, it will be a magnificent testimony of who God is and what He can do. It will be a testimony of His grace and mercy. It will be cause for all of the world and all of creation to worship God and to praise Him. In Romans chapter 11, verses 11 through 15, in fact, would you turn there with me real quick? We'll come back to Isaiah in just a moment. But in Romans chapter 11, something important to consider is

In Romans chapter 11, as I shared a few moments ago, Paul is dealing with the subject of whether or not Israel has been cut out of God's plan completely. And he's arguing and proving that they have not been cut out of God's plan. In verse 11 of Romans chapter 11, Paul says, I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall?

Certainly not. But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Look at verse 12. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness. So follow the logic of the Apostle Paul here. Israel rejected Jesus Christ. They rejected their Savior. And the result of that is that salvation has come to you and I.

The result of that is the gospel is gone to all of creation. And there's been a glorious work of God throughout the whole world as a result of their fall and their failure. And so he says, if their fall is riches for the world, if we've been blessed abundantly as a result of their fall, as a result of their failure, he says, how much more their fullness. So consider, as they...

finally receive their Messiah, as the Jewish people finally recognize their King and their Lord, Jesus Christ, what effect will that have upon the world? If their rejection of Jesus Christ is about the salvation that you and I have come to and enjoy,

The relationship with God that we are familiar with. The salvation of so many throughout the world. If their failure has brought on riches for us, how much more when they receive the fullness of God's plan and receive God's purposes for them, how much more will the world be impacted by that? Something incredible to consider. Verse 15, For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will be their acceptance...

but life from the dead. There is going to be such an incredible work of God in His people in that time. It's going to be radical. The world is going to be transformed and changed, radically altered as His people have turned to Him and accepted Him and received Him. The fullness, as they enter into the fullness of God's plan for them, will impact the entire world. And so God is going to be glorified

And people will come to proclaim the praises of God, to worship God. It's all about the glory of God. He says there at the end of verse 7, and I will glorify, going back to Isaiah chapter 60, I apologize, verse 7 of Isaiah 60, and I will glorify the house of my glory. God is going to glorify the house of His glory because it brings glory to His name, because it brings people to worship Him, to proclaim His praises.

Verse 8. We read verse 8. Did we read verse 8? No, we didn't. Verse 8. Verse 10.

The sons of foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you. For in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you. Therefore your gates shall be opened continually. They shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles and their kings in procession. For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, and those nations shall be utterly ruined.

Here's we go on in verses 8 through 12. We have God continuing to promise wonderful things. Some of them are things he's already mentioned. The coastlands coming. We're talking about the ends of the earth when we talk about the coastlands. The ships of Tarshish, that's a great distance away from Israel. They're going to bring your sons from afar. They're going to bring their silver and their gold.

And notice again, he says, to the name of the Lord your God. See, this work that is taking place, they're not coming to praise the people. They're not coming to praise the place. They're coming to praise the Lord because of his work.

It's a response to the work of God there in the land of Israel. And that's what he says at the end of verse 9. Because he has glorified you. They're coming to praise God. They're coming to worship God. They're coming to give to God out of response for the way that he has glorified himself in Israel. For the way that he has worked in their midst and in that place.

He says, the sons of foreigners shall build up your walls. They're going to come to serve and to work and to minister. Notice he says in verse 10, for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I've had mercy on you. Israel has been dealt with by God with discipline. But God never disciplines just to, well, just to thrash and

and inflict harm. He disciplines with the purpose of restoration. And so he's disciplined. He's poured out his wrath. As we're dealing with, again, Israel at the time of the writing, they're experiencing the judgment of their rebellion against God. Later on, as he was making mention of the tribulation period, it's the wrath of God that's being poured out upon the earth as a result of man's rebellion against God. He says, In my wrath I struck you, yes,

God does discipline. He brings discipline. But it's so that He can restore and then in His favor He has mercy. And so He says, Therefore your gates shall be opened continually. His mercy is far greater than His wrath. They won't be shut night or day, He says. There's going to be this great restoration. Not only that, but look at verse 12. The nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish. Now consider the land of Israel for just a moment.

You don't have to be an expert on Middle East affairs to know that, well, Israel is a hot spot and it's the center of attention, but not because, well, we all love Israel and want to be part of Israel. Israel is the center of attention because the world hates Israel. There's much of the world that

desires to drive Israel into the sea. The Muslim nations surrounding them, Iran and such, are desiring to, they want to get rid of Israel. They want to wipe them off the earth. They want to make it like they never existed. And Israel has been a place of turmoil for a very long time. But in this time,

In the millennial kingdom, when God does this work, it will be reversed. The nation and kingdom which does not serve Israel will perish. Those nations shall be utterly ruined. Israel is going to be brought to a place and a position of prominence within all the nations of the earth. Verse 13, "...the glory of Lebanon shall come to you, the cypress, the pine, and the box tree together."

to beautify the place of my sanctuary, and I will make the place of my feet glorious. Also the sons of those who afflicted you shall come, bowing to you, and all those who despise you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet, and they shall call you the city of the Lord, Zion, of the Holy One of Israel."

Here he says, the glory of Lebanon shall come to you. The glory of Lebanon was their great forest, their great trees. And so he says, the cypress, the pine, the box tree, there's going to be a renewal of the temple of the Lord. We see that in the book of Ezekiel.

The cedars and the wood that was brought down to build the first temple, the similar type of thing is going to take place. The wood is going to be brought down. He says, to beautify the place of my sanctuary. There's going to be this regathering, this rebuilding to beautify the sanctuary of the Lord. And he says, I will make the place of my feet glorious. This is talking about where Jesus has set up his throne.

Where he will be during this thousand years, he's going to make the place glorious. Again, God is going to pour out his glory upon the nation of Israel. He says in verse 14, Now that's quite a bit of people there. Because many have afflicted Israel.

Again, that's a multitude of people we're talking about. Israel is despised by many peoples, by many nations.

They're going to recognize the place of Zion in God's plan. They're going to recognize God by His work there in the land of Israel. Verse 15, Whereas you have been forsaken and hated so that no one went through you, I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations. You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles and milk the breast of kings.

Verse 17. Verse 18.

Here we see God saying, although you've been forsaken and hated, although the world has forsaken you, although you've been hated, although no one is willing to go through you, He says, I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations.

He's turning around everything. He's reversing everything that is Israel at this time.

They're going to be restored to a position of prominence upon the earth. They're going to be restored to glory. They're going to be renewed and building. The people are going to be regathered and repopulated. The livestock is going to be abundant in the land. There's going to be such an incredible work of God. He says, you'll drink of the milk of the Gentiles.

Milk speaks of prosperity and plenty. Remember, God promised them the land of milk and honey, which was the land of Israel. It wasn't really that, you know, rivers of milk flowed down, but it was a picture. It spoke of that prosperity and plenty that there was not going to be any needs, but they were going to be satisfied completely. Instead of bronze, he says, I'm going to bring you gold.

He's increasing the value of every aspect. Instead of iron, it's going to be silver. Instead of wood, it's going to be bronze. There's going to be this great value that is given to everything within the land, everything within God's place. Probably most significant is verse 18. Violence shall no longer be heard in your land. No more violence in the land of Israel.

How much violence goes on in the land of Israel? It's non-stop. Non-stop. Mario and I were trying to figure out quickly in our heads before service how many different kingdoms and nations have had control of Jerusalem throughout the centuries. And we came up with quite a few. I looked up another statistic which talked about the city of Jerusalem itself and it had this to say, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice.

besieged 23 times, attacked an additional 52 times, and captured and recaptured another 44 times. Jerusalem has been a city of violence and turmoil since the very beginning. Well, because it's where God has chosen to put his name. And the enemy desires to thwart that plan, but God will be victorious. But in this day, violence will no longer be heard.

There won't be destruction or wasting. You'll call your walls salvation and your gates praise. It's going to be a place of peace, of praise, of salvation, of great rejoicing in the work of God. And we see that continuing in verse 19.

Verse 1.

They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time. Here God says, you're not going to need the sun any longer. Now that's going to be pretty incredible. Because the presence of God is going to be there. Jesus is establishing his throne. He says, I'm going to be your light forever.

An everlasting light, both day and night. He says, God will be your glory. You're not going to have to worry about the sun going down. Verse 21, he says, also, your people shall all be righteous. Let that sink in for just a second. Your people shall all be righteous. The people that populate the land are going to be righteous.

They're going to be those who walk with God. Right now, Israel is populated. But very few of those who live in Israel really have a relationship with God. In fact, most of the Jews are atheists. They don't even believe in God. But in that day, in that day, all of them will be righteous. They'll inherit the land.

And again, look at what God says at the end of verse 21, that I may be glorified. All of this work that God is doing is that He, so that He may be glorified. He's renewing them, restoring them, bringing great glory to them. That's great glory, not gray glory, just in case you're wondering. He's doing this incredible work and He says, it's so that I may be glorified. A little one, He ends by saying, shall become a thousand and a small and a strong nation.

The smallest of them, the littlest of them will become great and strong, will have great strength. And God says, I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time. Which means it will come at exactly the right time. In its time. When it's time. At the right time. Which we know to be at the end of the tribulation period when Jesus Christ comes back and establishes his kingdom here on this earth for a thousand years. And so we have here in Isaiah chapter 60 this promise.

Well, these great promises of God, hard to imagine, probably for us, hard to really picture for us, but real nonetheless. These great promises of God for Mount Zion, for His land, the place that He has chosen to put His name. And why has He chosen this place? What is so significant about Mount Zion?

You know, it's interesting there in verse 15, he says, you've been forsaken and hated so that no one went through you. You know, going to Israel is a great experience for us because of the scriptures. But outside of religion, outside of God, there's nothing good.

really there. The only thing of maybe real great interest geographically is it's the lowest spot on the earth there at the Dead Sea. I mean, there's a little bit of significance there, but really there's nothing. Mount Zion, it's just a foothill. It's not even a mountain really. We wouldn't call it a mountain. It's just what the scripture calls it. It's just a hill, like we have hills all around us.

There's nothing, what is so great about this place? And I share that and I ask that and we look at these things and the reason why I've gone through it pretty quickly, I want to now take a moment and examine and consider the parallel. All of these things, these promises of God to Israel are true and they're going to come to pass exactly as God said. But this evening I want to encourage you with the same question. What's so special about you?

Why has God chosen you? You know that God is sovereign, which means that He, well, He's King of kings and Lord of lords. He reigns on high. His will will be accomplished. And I think tonight, it's especially appropriate for us that we understand that God will use your life for His glory. Remember the context as Isaiah is writing these things. The nation has been demolished.

There's only one city left. There's only a few left. And they're in constant fear of attack. Terrified that they're going to be completely conquered. And 150 years or so later, they do get conquered. They get taken captive. They go through a time of, well, great turmoil and trouble. Great outpouring of discipline and judgment as a result of their sin. And in that state, God promises them

I have wonderful glory in store for you. This evening, I want to encourage you and I want to share with you that the same is true of you. In Colossians chapter 3, it tells us that when Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Just as God has plans to pour out His glory upon the mountain of Zion, God has plans for you to pour out His glory upon you.

You will appear with Him in glory. God is going to be glorified in you and through you. God has a plan similar to, much like the plan for Mount Zion for your life. And we're very quick to say, well, we could be like Israel. Isaiah is writing these things. They're in rebellion against God. They don't see it happening. They just keep trying to do it on their own.

See, tonight, I think God wants to encourage us to get, once again, the eternal perspective. And remember that He is sovereign. And He will use your life for His glory. You don't have to figure it out and bring it upon yourself and work it out all on your own. In fact, even if it feels like deep darkness right now, again, in verse 12, for behold, the darkness shall cover the earth and deep darkness the people.

Maybe right now you know what that's like. You feel like you're in a time of deep darkness. And maybe it's self-inflicted just like the nation of Judah. They were in a condition of judgment that was brought upon themselves by themselves because of their rebellion against God. But it doesn't change God's promises. Isn't that good to know? It doesn't change His promises. He doesn't say, well, never mind. I had these great plans for you, but forget it now.

They were His people. This was His land. They are His people. That is His land. And He will be faithful to do the work that He promised to do. And He will do the same thing in your life, even if it's self-inflicted in your life. Even if you're experiencing the consequences and results of your choices, of your rebellion against God. He has a plan, a purpose.

And the purpose is not because of you. It's not because, well, you know, they're a really good person and they try really hard and they work so great. No, God says, look, I'm going to do this work in you. It has nothing to do with you. But because I do this work in you, I'm going to be glorified in you. And I'm going to be praised because of the work that I do in you. God does it because he's worthy of all glory and honor and power and praise.

God is sovereign. He will use your life for His glory. Even if it feels like you're in the depths of despair right now, He will use your life for His glory. God uses those hard times.

All of this time from Isaiah's writing until now, Israel has been going through very difficult times. But God will use those times, even the self-inflicted hard times, for His glory. And He will glorify you and be glorified in you. Remember what Paul said in Romans chapter 8 verse 18? He said, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

God has an incredible plan. There's glory that is yet to be revealed in you. And the present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with that glory. Just as we can look at these words in Isaiah chapter 60 and trust them and believe God has a plan for Israel. I hope you believe that. You better believe that.

He's going to renew them and restore them and establish His kingdom for a thousand years upon the earth. Just as we can see these words and read them and rejoice and look forward to that work that He's going to do there in Israel, we can also, in our own hearts and for our own lives, recognize that God has a plan and a purpose. He is going to be glorified in us. We will appear with Him in glory.

And therefore the present sufferings are not worthy to be compared. God is in control. God is in control. And the things that we're experiencing, the things that we go through, even the things that we bring upon ourselves, they don't remove God's promises from us. And the results of it and the consequences of it and the things that we experience do not compare with the work that God will do. Consider Lazarus in John chapter 11.

Lazarus, you know the story, was a friend of Jesus. Jesus gets a message. Lazarus is sick. Come quickly. He hangs out for a couple days and then heads over. By the time he gets there, Lazarus had been four days in the grave. Before he starts his journey back, he has a conversation with his disciples. Lazarus sleeps, Jesus said. Let's go. His disciples are a little bit confused.

The disciples say, "Well, if he sleeps, that's good. Then he'll get better. He's getting some rest. He needs that if he's sick." Jesus says, "No, he's dead. And I'm glad." Why is he glad? "Lazarus died." Very often in our heads, the worst thing that can happen: "I died." Why is Jesus glad? When Jesus first heard the news of what was happening with Lazarus and his sickness, he said, "This sickness is not unto death." But Lazarus died.

What in the world is going on? Jesus said it's not unto death. Lazarus died. Then Jesus says, I'm glad. You ever feel like that? Everything is just falling apart in your life and you feel like God's glad. He's happy. Jesus says in John 11, 4, He says, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it. You know the story, Lazarus, Jesus raised him from the dead. But that wasn't the point.

The point was that God was glorified. See, Lazarus was going to die again. He was raised from the dead, but not for forever. Later on, he was going to have to die again. The work that took place there in the story of Lazarus was not just him coming back from the dead to get another 30 years in life. The work that took place is that the glory of God was manifested. The Son of God was glorified through it. God's glory was brought forth again.

through that tragedy, through that tragic situation. And that's why Jesus said He was glad, because God was made known and He was glorified. And so I want to encourage you, I want to challenge you, I want to ask you to consider, to consider the present sufferings. They're not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed. What are you going through? What are you experiencing? What are you facing? What's life been like? Is things tough and rough? Are you having difficulties?

Here we see God's promises to His people in a time when they didn't deserve to be given any promises. They were in rebellion against God. Isaiah's message throughout has been repent, turn. Jeremiah after him as well and the other prophets surrounding them. It's get right with God. They didn't deserve to have these promises made and yet God makes these incredible promises about what He will do.

And in the same way, you and I, we have this promise. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Whatever you're experiencing, and very often as we experience things, you know, they're the worst things that we could ever imagine. They're the worst things we've ever experienced in our entire lives. I mean, we go through difficult things. They're not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us. And just as Lazarus went through this

difficult time, he died, God was glorified through it. God's promises will be fulfilled. God is sovereign. He will use your life for his glory. And he's going to pour his glory into you. As we saw Jerusalem and Israel, they're going to be renewed. There's this great work, not because of their goodness, not because of... God is going to do it because he is going to be glorified through it. God will do that same thing in you.

We have the promises of the New Testament as well. He will be faithful to complete the work that He began in you. When Christ, who is our life, appears, you also will appear with Him in glory. One last example I would ask you to consider is Jesus. Sometimes the things that we go through are self-inflicted because, yeah, we blow it and we mess up and we make a mess of our lives. And yet God will use those things and He will be glorified through it. But also those things, well, the things that happen as a result of being...

right where God wants us to be. Sometimes those suffering is included with the will of God. And you just look at Jesus for the example of that. He suffered loneliness, persecution, betrayal, beatings, crucifixion, unjust trials, and you could go on and on. Right in the center of God's will. None of it as a result of what He had done as far as sin was concerned. He didn't deserve any of it. He suffered.

And he was willing to because through it, God was glorified. Jesus said in John chapter 17, as he's preparing for those last few hours and he's praying to God, he says, glorify me with the glory I had before the world began. What he was about to endure was for the purpose of bringing glory to God. This evening, the Lord wants you to know whatever you go through, whatever you're experiencing, whether it's self-inflicted or not, it's worth it. God will be glorified through it.

Just as we see this wonderful work in Israel, God is going to be glorified in you. It's not worthy to be compared. What you're going through right now, it's not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed. The worship team is going to come up and lead us in a few songs. And I want to encourage you to take heart, to be encouraged. Now, if it is self-inflicted, what you're going through, the things that you're facing,

Well, the message to Judah throughout the time was to repent and to turn and get right with God. And so if you need to get right with God, it's a great opportunity to. But understand, it doesn't change His promises. Get right with Him because He has wonderful things in store for you. If you've been doubting, if you've been wavering, if you've been struggling, if you've been hurting, grab hold of the promises of God. Just as sure as we can look forward that God is going to do this work in Israel, He is going to do more.

a glorifying work in us. He uses the hard times, even if it's self-inflicted, for His glory. He will glorify and be glorified in you. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.