On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 25:6-8
This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition. My focus today is on chapter eight Cities of Ruthless Nations Will Fear the Lord, pages 122-132. Here, Piper uses both Isaiah 25:1-8 and a description of this prophecy in action as Paul has a vision to go to Macedonia (Philippi) to spread the Gospel (Acts 16:10-12).
As we read Piper and how he unpacks the passage in Isaiah (in the context of missions - the purpose of the book), we are first urged to remember that the goal of the Gospel is God Himself - to know, be with, and enjoy God; missions, "therefore is about the greatness of God[.]" Piper then reminds us that much of the world is in darkness and not seeing the greatness of God, regardless of efforts to bring the message everywhere. We are at war with the powers of darkness. Yet Piper wants us to see the prophecy in Isaiah 25:1-8 as one of hope - that God "has promised an astonishing triumph in the end." We are urged to see how God "is a planning God...[and how] He gives forethought to what he does. He is wise" (v25:1). Most importantly, we are to look at v25:6-8 and how he is "stronger than the strong peoples, and he is so powerful and so gracious that in the end he will turn cities of ruthless nations to fear him....This is the reverential fear of converts." In the end we must also remember that "[n]ot one life spent in the cause of world evangelization is spent in vain." As Piper turns to Paul's work in Philippi, we see from 2 Corinthians 8:1-2 how Paul's efforts paid off.
Piper then sums up this chapter by stating that God's vision for missions and the nations is a "vision that cannot fail-if any one of us walks away from it, someone else will pick it up."
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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of such grace and mercy. My sin continues. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
