Our scripture reading this evening is Isaiah chapter 27, as we continue to make our way through this Old Testament gospel message. Isaiah chapter 27, and this closes out kind of a section that deals with oracles to the nations, and even a smaller subsection that deals with general prophecies looking really at the end. prophecies against the world's sin, yet also prophecies of hope for God's people. Isaiah chapter 27, we'll look at and read the entirety of this chapter. Let's give careful attention to the reading of God's most holy and infallible word. In that day, the Lord, with his hard and great and strong sword, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. In that day, a pleasant vineyard sing of it, I, the Lord, am its keeper. Every moment I water it, lest anyone punish it. I keep it night and day. I have no wrath. Would that I had thorns and briars to battle, I would march against them. I would burn them up together, or let them lay hold of my protection. Let them make peace with me. Let them make peace with me. In days to come, Jacob shall take root. Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit. Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain? Measure by measure, by exile you contended with them. He removed them with his fierce breath in the day of the east wind. Therefore, by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin. When he makes all the stones of the altars, like chalk stones, crushed to pieces, no asherim or incense altars will remain standing. For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation, deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness. There the calf grazes, there it lies down and strips its branches. When its boughs are dry, they are broken. Women come and make a fire of them. For this is a people without discernment. Therefore, he who made them will not have compassion on them. He who formed them will show them no favor." In that day, from the river Euphrates to the brook of Egypt, the Lord will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. And in that day, a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out of the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain. at Jerusalem. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his holy word. One of the beauties about what this little section of Isaiah deals with, really from chapter 24 through chapter 27, it points even beyond our own time. It uses contemporary language, of course, but as you read through this and the previous chapters as well, we can see there are things that are described that are clearly beyond our time. We think especially of chapter 25 and that feast that is prepared for us. the reality that God himself will wipe away our every tear, a theme that is picked up on at the end of Revelation. Chapter 27 is, of course, no different. And even as we have seen in previous chapters earlier in the book, there is a lot of judgment against the nations and against God's own people for their selfishness, for their reliance upon pagan nations as opposed to relying upon the Lord. Yet scattered throughout, we saw glimpses of hope, glimpses of grace, the promise of a child to be born, for example. But as we move into chapter 24 through 27, on the whole, there is a lot more hope looking forward to the end. And see, that's what we as Christians should do ourselves. In fact, if Israel in Isaiah's day was called upon and had this prophecy to look beyond, look to the future, look to the end, how much more should we, who have seen the Christ delivered to this world, Christ died, resurrected, and now ascended on high, how much more should we have hope for the future? How much more should we rejoice in the hope? Brothers and sisters, it's important that we understand, and I can't stress this enough, this world simply does not like us, and that's putting it mildly. It's easy to become discouraged. It's easy to fall back from our stance, from our beliefs, from our faith, from our own ethics, even, to compromise for the sake of causing no trouble. Of course, I'm not saying that we should go out there and be obnoxious, that we should go out there and be rude, but neither should we compromise. And more and more as the world shows its hatred of all things related to Christ, more and more God's people should be looking forward to the day when he brings all things to consummation at the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But even in the midst of much grace promised, looking for the eschaton, that is the last days, There's still judgment against the enemies of God. And that's true even here in chapter 27. It's important that all of us keep this in mind. Well, what I hope to show out of chapter 27 this evening is simply this. The wicked will be defeated even as the redeemed flourish. and are gathered into His presence. The wicked will be defeated, even as the redeemed flourish and are gathered into his presence. We're actually gonna look at this under four headings tonight. Very un-Presbyterian of me, I know. But four headings. So first of all, the devil defeated. Secondly, the vineyard flourishes. Thirdly, the judgment comes, and then finally, the people worship. The devil defeated, the vineyard flourishes, the judgment comes, and the people worship. So first of all, the devil defeated. Look again at verse one. In that day, the Lord, with his hard and great and strong sword, will punish Leviathan, the fleeing serpent, Leviathan, the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea. What we have here from a somewhat literary standpoint is the beginning of kind of what's called an inclusio. That is the front end of a set of bookends. The last of it is at the end of the chapter. And we know this because in verse one, you see, we have mentioned twice in that day. As you look, as we'll get to it, but at verses 12 and 13, we have there two expressions, in that day. They provide bookends for the entirety of this chapter, from the beginning and the end. Now this, as we've seen before, is a common expression that points to the end times, that points to what's commonly called the eschaton. last things in that day. It flows from what we've already seen and have been seeing in chapters 24 through 26 in that day. It's a reminder to us all. It is a reminder to us all that we ought to be looking for the return of Christ, and that brings us hope. But notice the specifics of that day. In the hand of the Lord, notice he's got a sword. And it's got a threefold description. It is a hard sword. It is a great sword. It is a strong sword. Now some commentators see that as being contrasted with the three beasts, if you will. Two leviathans and a serpent. That may well be. That could be the pattern there. But there's one sword. But on the other hand, you have that threefold description of the serpent. Well, there's really only one devil, is there? The point here is that despite Leviathan or the dragon or serpent, whatever translation you may have there, God has a sword in his hand. Our God makes war. Our God judges. Our God conquers. He conquers. We truly are in a spiritual battle. This is why the Apostle Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God. But at the end of it all, when Christ returns, it is he who will bear the sword, and the sword that comes from his mouth, from which he will strike down the nations. Leviathan, of course, referring to, ultimately, Satan, the evil one. mentioned twice, called Leviathan. He's described as a fleeing serpent, a twisting serpent, and then the dragon in the sea. Now some have looked at this as being the three main areas of where you find all living things, the sky, the earth, and the sea. Perhaps, maybe, that could be what is thinking, but it does seem that at the very least, that what we are dealing with are two masters of their domain, if you will. The Lord God and the Prince of Darkness. And the Lord God will triumph. That's the point here. It really is that simple. The devil will be defeated. Notice what the Lord will do. He will punish. He will punish. That's what will take place to him. And we know from the rest of scripture, particularly in Revelation, where he is thrown into the lake of fire. His end is sure. Let me ask you something. Why does this matter to us today? Why did it matter to Isaiah in his day, hundreds of years before Christ even walked the earth? God's people need to know that in the face of whatever danger, persecution, affliction that may come, he will bring it all to consummation. And it is intended to give you and me who suffer in this world hope, real hope. As I've mentioned before, this is not merely hope so. I mean, even tonight, some of us are probably thinking, I hope the snow doesn't really accumulate so I can get to work. Or maybe you're saying, I hope it really does snow a lot so I don't have to go to work. But all of that is wishful thinking. Biblical hope is confident expectation of that which God has promised. Here we have God promising that he will punish, that he will defeat the evil one, and that should give us that confident expectation that though we may not see it in our lifetime here on earth, it will nevertheless come to pass. That's the defeat of Leviathan. That's the thing that all of us have to place our hope in. Well, this brings us to our second point, the vineyard flourishes. This'll be really verses two through six. But notice verse two, in that day, a pleasant vineyard, sing of it. I, the Lord, am its keepers. Every moment I water it, lest anyone punish it. I keep it night and day. We saw this metaphor of a vineyard way back in chapter five. There, it's what Israel and Judah made of the vineyard. Simply put, they made a mess of it. Here, it is what God will one day make of it. So we see a contrast to something that we saw back in chapter five being presented, where man fails, even God's people in rebellion fail, God succeeds. It is a pleasant vineyard. It is something that is worthy of song. Some of you garden. Some of you have vegetables that you grow for food. Some of you just garden for the sake of beautifying your property. Whatever the case may be. But I don't know how many of us actually sing songs about our garden. The Lord is telling us this vineyard is so pleasant, so beautiful, that we ought to sing of it. And my friends, sing of it, we will. Notice the most important reasons why. It is God himself. Every moment he waters it, lest anyone punish it. Now some translations instead of punish have the word harm or hurt. Both legitimate, the verb itself just means at its most basic level, to pay attention to. And whether it is something that is negative, or whether it is something that is positive, completely depends on the context. Here, the idea of harming or doing damage is what's in view. In contrast to what God will do, he will tend to it, he will care of it, lest anyone try to hurt it. He's there, he keeps it night and day. And what a beautiful picture that is, because you and I need sleep. He can keep watch night and day. He is the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps. and he protects his vineyard. He has no wrath. What a wonderful statement of grace. We know what the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1.18. The wrath of God is revealed against all unrighteousness. What he says in Ephesians chapter two, that we were children of wrath. And we tend to have this natural thinking that wrath is just some sort of out of controlled, berserk anger. No, God's wrath is perfectly just and righteous and necessary against his holy nature. And it's what you and I deserve. And yet here God is saying, I have no wrath. And notice what he says in the rest of verse four. Would that I had thorns and briars to battle. I would march against them. I would burn them up together. Now, you think about that, and I'm sure those of you that garden, whether it's flowers or vegetables for food, really don't want the thorns and the briars to pop up. But here, it is as if God is saying, oh, let the thorns come. Let's see what happens to them. Again, it's quite a contrast. He's got no wrath against his own people. Literally, that expression is anger there is not to me. Whereas in chapter five in the vineyard there in God's people, God judges such that the vineyard is devoured. Here he cares for it. One commentator noted here with respect to the briars and the thorns, he says it has the sense of just let a weed try and show up. There have been commercials about weed eaters, like the men out there in your yard, ready with the spray bottle in hand, trying to sell you something. There's a weed, and he gets it. Let a weed show up in the vineyard of the Lord. He would march against them and lay hold of them. But notice, though, in verse five, there's another possibility. See, verse four, he says he would march against them, but verse five has another possibility. Or, let them lay hold of my protection. Let them make peace with me. What is this other than a call to repentance? There is Hope, from our perspective, hope for the lost. While our Lord Jesus Christ tarries, there's hope. Let them make peace with God. And how do they do that? They submit to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They bow their knee before him. They trust in Him alone for salvation. Jesus Christ becomes their peace. And so the question for us is, what kind of a thorn or briar are we? The kind that the Lord will come and devour Himself, or the kind that comes to Him and attempts to make peace? The beauty is that those who attempt and come to make peace, he will in no wise cast off. That's the hope even the wicked today have. Many conservative biblical Christians, Look at the world. And our temptation is to look out there, see what's on TV, see what's on social media, open up the newspaper, whatever the case may be. And part of us is like, Lord, just zap them all. But do we pray for their conversion? Do we pray and yearn that the Lord would pour out grace even upon such unregenerate, wicked individuals? And do we do it because that's what he did for us? As good Calvinists, we'll sit there and say, yes, we understand we're sinners, we're wicked. Sometimes in our minds, in our hearts, we'll say, yeah, but I wasn't that wicked. We make comparisons. Do we long for God to save sinners? Do we pray to that end? Do we work to that end? The beauty is those who truly come to faith, those who truly repent, those who truly, sincerely bow the knee before Christ, he will welcome into the company of the redeemed, just like he did for you and for me. Grace undeserving. But that's a redundant statement. Grace is undeserving. None of us earned it. No one can earn it. And yet God in Christ offers it. As you look at verse six, regardless of whether the wicked are destroyed by God or whether they repent and are welcomed in, notice verse six, in days to come, Jacob shall take root. Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots and fill the whole world with fruit in days to come. Now, that's a bit of an interpretive translation there. Really, the Hebrew just says the ones coming. It's a single word in Hebrew, the coming ones. The New King James Version has it something like this. Those coming will take root in Jacob. Now, it could just simply be a kind of exclamation of excitement. Here they come, meaning those who are God's people, those who will be taking root in Jacob, those who may be included and grafted in. But Israel shall blossom again. Language of fruitfulness. language of growth and blessing. It reminds us of what we see in Psalm 1. Those who meditate on God's law, they're like that planted tree and it bears its fruit in season. Israel, God's people, they will blossom and put forth shoots. And notice that this fruit will fill the world, not just simply that plot of land known as Palestine. This is the flourishing of God's people. This is the flourishing of his vineyard. And it is God who causes it to happen. He does what man fails to do for himself. He does what man cannot do for himself. This brings us then to our third point. The judgment comes. Look now at verse seven. Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain? Got a rather tongue-twisting question that is asked and then answered. Two questions, really, that you really have to slow down to read it. Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them? Sounds like an equation that you have to sort out. Those who struck them, enemies. You think, for instance, of Assyria, who was the main nation. the main empire of Isaiah's day that was conquering, of which we read earlier, Sennacherib, who was king at the time, how God used Assyria to discipline his own people. And so now God is basically asking, is God striking you, my people, the same way he's going to strike them? That's kind of the rhetorical question that's being asked. It's an explanation as to what God did and will do for his people. As you look a little bit further, he answers in verse eight, measure by measure, which again, that's actually rather difficult in the Hebrew. Some of you have an ESV footnote, you say you can see it there. They say the meaning is not all that certain. And there's truth to it. It is a difficult translation. The word there, it has the idea that can carry the connotation of the idea of exile, which is why then you see followed up the word exile. More on that in a minute. It could have the idea of either by exact measure or by driving away. both fit by exact measure. In other words, the judgment of God is exact and purposeful and deliberate in God's hand, or even by driving away. After all, what is an exile but the driving of people from their land? These are the things that happen to the people of Israel. The northern tribes at the hand of Sennacherib, were driven away. And it almost happened to Judah under Sennacherib. And most of Judah was conquered, except for Jerusalem. But Hezekiah prayed. But even as we think beyond Isaiah's day, it happened to Judah under Babylon. They were exiled. There are many throughout all of church history for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ that were exiled from their lands. Some because of the oppression of others, some because God's people, well, they sin. What is being described here in verse 8? is some of the cursings that we find in Book of Deuteronomy. Their sin, they fail to repent, the Lord drives them from the land. But I want you to notice what ends up happening in verse nine. There's an acknowledgement of their discipline, their chastisement, their punishment. In verse nine it says this, therefore by this guilt, by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin. I don't know how much you see it, at least initially. I didn't initially, but it really dawned on me during this week What an incredible statement of God's grace toward us. That our sin is atoned for simply in exile. In other words, what God is doing is not giving his people what they truly deserve. What he's giving them is more of a temporal chastisement. It is fatherly discipline. He's punishing their sins, yes, but in His grace and in His mercy, He is not giving them the full of what they are due. And He regards their sin as covered, atoned for. My friends, that's grace. That's God's mercy toward his people. And isn't it wonderful that though we sometimes experience, even painfully, God's fatherly discipline and chastisement upon us. With that, he will say only this far and no further, because I have truly atoned for their sin. and in the person and work of my Son, Jesus Christ. This is in part why they could return. This is because God is faithful to his promises, even to sinners such as you and me. He makes their stones, the removal of their sins, when he makes their stones of their altars like chalk stones, crushed to pieces, no asherim or incense altars will remain standing. That's what takes place. Their false religion is destroyed. As you come to verses 10 and 11, you have another contrast that is set. Those who are not numbered among God's people compared to those who are. For the fortified city is solitary, a habitation deserted and forsaken. Like the wilderness, there the calf grazes. There it lies down and strips its branches. We've seen this kind of imagery before in Isaiah, where the city that sets itself up against the Lord is conquered, and there's nothing left. It was fortified, but it's nothing now. It's solitary. This image of a calf grazing, we might think of this as this nice little peaceful thing where the calf is grazing in a nice beautiful meadow, butterflies flying, birds chirping, the sun is shining, but actually this is a picture of complete destitution. And the animals just roam free. Hardly anyone there to stop it from happening. But as you look at verse 11, we see the reasons why. When its boughs are dry, they are broken, women come and make fire of them. Why? For this is a people without discernment. There are people without discernment. And notice the next word, therefore. Always ask yourself, when you see the word therefore, what is it there for? All these people with no discernment, there is a consequence. He who made them, that is God himself, will not have compassion on them. You think back, What I said about the guilt of Jacob being atoned for in verse nine, what a wonderful testimony of God's grace, that it was merely exile and not fully what we deserve. Here, those who are not God's people, they will not see God's compassion. they will not see God's favor. This is what will happen in the end times when Christ returns. Those who belong to him will be ushered into paradise. Those who do not will not experience any mercy anymore. The time for compassion will pass. It will be over. It will be done. You see, as we think about passages that speak of end times, we as Christians will naturally look for the things that we will experience. The joy of being in the presence of Christ. The joy of our own eyes seeing the face of Christ. The reality is, as we look at such passages that speak of end times here in Isaiah 27, passages that we see in Ezekiel and in Daniel and in Revelation, it is always tied to God's judgment against the wicked. There will be a time when the wicked will have to give an account before God. And those who in this life persist and die in their sins, there will be no compassion for them. And in this sense, the Lord will purge his people completely. This is the coming judgment. And for you and for me, our question is simply, are we those to whom God has shown favor? But I don't deserve favor. Well, that's kind of the point. No one does. When you recognize you deserve nothing but God's wrath, that's your first step. The next step is to flee to Christ. Flee to Him. I plead with you, any here tonight who have not committed themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, who have not repented of their sinful ways, who have not placed their trust in His finished work, to do so now. that your sins be washed away, that you be saved, that you be ushered into His presence on the last day. Well, this brings us to our final point, the people worship. This is now verses 12 and 13, and this finishes out that inclusio that we see in verse one and the very beginning of verse two. In that day, from the river Euphrates to the brook of Egypt, the Lord will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. It's a restatement, as I mentioned, of that twofold in that day to complete and finish off that bookend of chapter 27. As you look at the language here, language from the Euphrates to the Brook of Egypt. Now, the word Euphrates does not technically appear there. It's just the river. But during this time, the river was understood to be the Euphrates. and also the brook of Egypt, no doubt a reference to the Nile. What's the significance of this? Well, it certainly could be said that it's descriptive of the vast size of which God will bless his people, the land upon which they will dwell. And that is certainly true. But there's another aspect to this. that the Israelites of Isaiah's day hopefully would have picked up on. From the river Euphrates to the brook of Egypt, what God will do for his people. That's actually the boundary that Abraham was shown by God as being the promised land. See, in other words, what we're seeing here in Isaiah chapter 27, verse 12, is a predicted fulfillment of God's covenant promises. You see, all of this has to be viewed in terms of God's covenant promises. It's also a reminder too, as sort of an aside. since it is a pointing to that covenant given to Abraham, that since this is looking at the eschaton, the end times, that the covenant made with Abraham, the essence of it is still in force today. It doesn't fade away. Well, the covenant with Abraham failed. Well, let's try Moses. Well, that one failed. Let's try David. Well, that one failed. Let's try the new covenant. This is a picture of God's faithfulness to his covenant promises. We need to understand that as we, as the Israelites would have understood, this is the promise to Abraham. But even Paul in the New Testament speaks of the fact that the promise made to Abraham to give him a land, Paul interprets that as Abraham inheriting not just the promised land, but the earth. The whole earth, my friends, It's all yours in Christ. All of it. We just long for the day when Christ comes back to claim what is His. And He gives it to His people. And He gives His kingdom, us, to His heavenly Father. This is our hope. This is what we long for. And notice the language here after the borders are reminded or brought to remembrance. The Lord will thresh out the grain and you will be gleaned one by one. This is a promise that his people will be cleansed of all the chaff. All the sin will be removed. And it's also important to note, this is a description here, not just of a group of people en masse, but rather notice He will glean them one by one. He knows you individually by name. It's not just a mass of people. Save as many as we can. Just grab this bunch right here. No. He puts His name upon you. He gleans each of you one by one. Your salvation was deliberate in His hand. You specifically. He knows his own, and he knows his own one by one, and he knows his own by name. That should be a comfort to us even as individuals, not just as a church, but as individuals. And notice what happens. in verse 13, and in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain of Jerusalem. You see, that's the end goal of all of it. Why are we saved? Is it so that we can have harps and sit on clouds and just pluck them all day? So that it's a nice weather up there? Have our little wings? That's what the world thinks in their fairy tales about what they think heaven is like. The purpose of our salvation is worshiping the one true God. Why did God set Israel free from Egypt? That they may go and worship and serve Him. Why does He set us free from sin? That we might come into His presence and worship and adore Him. You see, even our salvation, though we're great beneficiaries of it, it's really not about us. I know that's a blow to our egos, but our salvation is ultimately about the glory of God. As you look and you see through the book of Revelation time and time again, you see the picture of the warfare between the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of darkness. And all throughout, what are God's people doing? They're worshiping. That image that you see in Revelation 4, the description of the armies and the generals, if you will, of God's army, they're around the throne. They're not planning war, they're worshiping. This is what we have to hope for. What we are doing right now, this evening, is a foretaste of what awaits us when Christ returns. People say, I can't wait to get to heaven. The worship there will be great. And sometimes I question them. Are you really that concerned about the worship? Because you certainly don't seem concerned about it here on earth. present company accepted, of course. This is but a foretaste. When we gather in corporate worship, the spirit brings us to the throne room of grace. This is why the author of Hebrews tells us we are brought where? To Mount Zion. We are brought where? To the most holy place. And this happens through faith. but O for the day when faith becomes sight. You see, this prophecy here is intended to instill hope in God's people, to remind us that his promises are faithful and true, that what he has said that he will do for his people in grace, he will do. So no matter what happens in your life, you who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, you who remain faithful to Him, you who cling to the robe of Christ and will not let go, this is what awaits you. Until then, brothers and sisters, Pray that Christ returns. Long for His return. Keep your eyes fixed on heavenward. Longingly gaze, hoping that Christ will return, because this is what awaits us. Worship in His presence. When God's people will flourish, unlike any other time in history, we'll be with Him. and we shall see him like he is. Pray for that day to come. Pray that the judge of the earth will do so and call us home. Amen. Let's pray. Our great God and Father in heaven, we do come before you and we confess that there are times where we don't long for heaven as we ought to. But yet, as we read through your word time and again, you point us forward to give us hope, to remind us that you truly will redeem your people even as you defeat the wicked. Lord, fill us with hope. Help us rejoice in the grace that you have shown to us. Help us to rejoice that we are that vineyard that you care for and keep. Oh Lord, send Christ soon. Purge this world of all evil and bring us home with him. Until then, help us to be faithful, strengthen us, give us courage, give us endurance, give us perseverance. Help us to pray in earnest for Christ's kingdom and for Christ to return for His kingdom. We pray all this in His name, amen.