A Beautiful Future
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Scott Strickman
Sermon Series: Come, Let Us Walk in the Light of the Lord
Isaiah 60:1-14, 19-22 (ESV)
1 Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
3 And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and exult,
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
6 A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.
7 All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered to you;
the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
they shall come up with acceptance on my altar,
and I will beautify my beautiful house.
8 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their windows?
9 For the coastlands shall hope for me,
the ships of Tarshish first,
to bring your children from afar,
their silver and gold with them,
for the name of the Lord your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
because he has made you beautiful.
10 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.
11 Your gates shall be open continually;
day and night they shall not be shut,
that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
with their kings led in procession.
12 For the nation and kingdom
that will not serve you shall perish;
those nations shall be utterly laid waste.
13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
the cypress, the plane, and the pine,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary,
and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
14 The sons of those who afflicted you
shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the Lord,
the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
19 The sun shall be no more
your light by day,
nor for brightness shall the moon
give you light;
but the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
20 Your sun shall no more go down,
nor your moon withdraw itself;
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of mourning shall be ended.
21 Your people shall all be righteous;
they shall possess the land forever,
the branch of my planting, the work of my hands,
that I might be glorified.
22 The least one shall become a clan,
and the smallest one a mighty nation;
I am the Lord;
in its time I will hasten it.
Sermon Outline
We are given a picture of where God is leading history that can transform how we live.
1. Draws Us
v1 “your light has come”
v5 “you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill”
v7 “I will beautify my beautiful house”, v9 “because he has made you beautiful”
2. Directs Us
v1 “arise”
v2 “darkness shall cover the earth”
v11 “the people may bring to you the wealth of the nations”
v20 “your days of mourning shall be ended”
v19 “sun shall be no more… the Lord will be your everlasting light… your glory”
3. Utilizes Us
v1 “shine”
v14 “they shall call you the city of the Lord… Zion”
“come”
Prayer of Confession
Almighty and most merciful Father; we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have left undone those things that we ought to have done; and we have done those things that we ought not to have done; and there is no health in us. O Lord, have mercy upon us. And grant, O most merciful Father, for your Son Jesus Christ’s sake, that we may hereafter live a godly and righteous life, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
Do you believe the future is hopeful? If you imagine a great moment in the future, what do you picture?
What does the theme of light rising and shining help us understand?
What distinguishes true beauty from superficial beauty? Can you think of examples of how true beauty brings life to a person’s soul?
How can the vision of a hopeful future help you endure present difficulties? How can it inspire faithfulness when what you see is discouraging?
How can this picture of people bringing gifts to God inform how you do your work or live your daily life? What does it look like to glorify God with all that you do?
Why are Christians called to be a “city on a hill”? How do good works cause the light of God to shine from us into the world? Do you find joy in doing good?
How can the church improve in being a community that shines light into the world? What can we do differently?
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