Title Awake /Isaiah 51:17-23
Contents In verse 17 of the main text, there is a saying, 'Awake, Jerusalem, awake.' The word 'wake up' is a word that contains the meaning of 'be alert'. Therefore, we can understand the feelings of the prophet Isaiah toward Israel with one word of these words. And we must deal with today's text, bearing in mind that it is the word that is being shouted to us today with the same sentiment as then.
Awake is a word to a person who is sleeping. There is no need to say 'Awake' to the awake. So, first, let's look at the state of sleep through the words of Jesus. In Matthew 26, Jesus went to a place called Gethsemane with his disciples to pray before his death on the cross, and Peter James and John, the disciple who went with him, was sleeping. Jesus said to them, "My heart is so troubled that it is about to die; stay here and watch with me" (Matthew 26:28). To tell the disciples to stay awake does not mean simply not to sleep, but to participate in the heart of Jesus to the extent that they will die in agony before the cross. That is, he wanted the disciples to have the same interest as Jesus.
But the disciples were not interested in Jesus, but themselves. Gethsemane was just a follower of Jesus. To such disciples, Jesus said, "Couldn't you have stayed awake like this for an hour with me? Keep watch and pray so that you may not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." This is not to accuse the disciples of not praying while Jesus prays. Praying is not praying. Prayer is prayer that is in harmony with the heart of Jesus. So what he said to his disciples was pointing out that they were not at all in harmony with Jesus' heart. In other words, 'couldn't you be awake?' means 'You have completely different interests from me.'
Ultimately, to be tempted means to become interested in things that are neither in Jesus' interests nor in His heart. And now we live in that state. This was the condition of the ancient Israelites. The people who lived with a heart completely different from God's were God's chosen people.
Sleeping refers to turning away from God's heart, ignoring what Jesus' heart is, and only following what is in one's heart and living according to one's own desires.
Isn't that how we live today? Are you really paying a little attention to the heart of Jesus? The heart of Jesus was to save His people from their sins by carrying His own cross and shed His blood. However, the disciples did not have their heart on the cross of the Lord at all. Why? Because they had no interest in sin or judgment. If they had lived with the tension in the judgment of sin, they would have had no choice but to be interested in the death of the Lord. They would have realized the cross where the Lord bore the death that they had to die on, and they would have known the meaning of the Lord's death.
Women wept when Jesus was carried away on the cross. Then Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for you and your children." This means that we should not weep for ourselves, but weep for those who remain. In Jesus' eyes, the world was pitiful. In the eyes of the world, a man who is incapable of being crucified and dragged away and destined to die soon will look pitiful. But Jesus says the real pitiful are the daughters of Jerusalem. The reason is that the calamity of judgment to come is awaiting them.
Because the final judgment was in Jesus' heart, the words, 'Do not weep for me, but weep for you' came to be. Jesus knew what was important and what was urgent. The daughters of Jerusalem are in a position to weep at the final judgment. But they do not weep over the Last Judgment. Because there was no tension in their minds about the judgment.
The prophet Isaiah, like Jesus, knew what was urgent. Because even the prophet had judgment in mind. When they looked at Israel with the foretold judgment in mind, they were so pathetic and frustrated. That is why they are shouting, 'Awake, Jerusalem.'
Why do you come to church? You have to think about whether you are seeking the church out of your own religious greed, without concern for the heart of Jesus, without concern for the heart of the prophet, and without tension about judgment.
There is one reason why we should seek Jesus. Because only the blood of Jesus can solve the problem of sin. There can be no other purpose or reason other than this. Jesus never called us for any other purpose than this. And yet, if there is something else in our minds, in the end we will end up not being awake, but sleeping fools. There is no tension or seriousness about the referee, but rather, he is a sleeper who is relaxed about refereeing and lives insignificant things.
Verse 17 says, ?쏛wake, Awake, Arise, Jerusalem, which has drunk the cup of her wrath from the hand of the Lord; This means that even though Israel was taken captive to Babylon, do not be afraid and look to the promise of salvation from God, the Lord of hosts. Because that's what waking up looks like.
Jerusalem is the home of God's temple. That is, the washing of sins and salvation in Jerusalem takes place. But if that Jerusalem is destroyed, how can the world receive forgiveness of sins? For Isaiah, who looked to Jerusalem with judgment in mind, it was not important to live in peace in Israel. For Isaiah, it was to proclaim the salvation of God by making Jerusalem come to his senses and offering proper sacrifices in the temple. Likewise, what are the pressing issues that matter to us today? Unfortunately, the important and urgent issues for us today are not the cross and salvation, but living comfortably in one body. That is why only worries, worries, and sighs are always pouring out.
If Jesus is looking at the world and is groaning, what is it? Do you want to lament and worry because our country has not been reunited? Is unity so important to Jesus? Unification is never the gospel. Is economic recovery important to Jesus? Is the economy the gospel? Is it important for Jesus to revive my church and build a chapel? Isn't the important issue for Jesus to be a church that can properly testify to the blood of Christ? In order to do that, the church must live only with the heart of judgment on sin.
Why was Jerusalem destroyed? Because their only concern was for my country to become strong and blessed and live well. He didn't care at all about what was important and urgent before God. They are shouting 'Awake' toward such Jerusalem. In other words, open your eyes. So, what should Jerusalem be awake to?
It was the good news, the news that brought salvation. Verse 18 says, ?쏯one of the sons you have borne will lead you, and of all the sons you have brought up, no one will draw you by hand.??This means that there is no one in Israel who has the strength to rescue them from the current afflictions and difficulties. That is to say, salvation cannot but be given from outside. For Israel, the words from verses 21 to 23 are good news of salvation. The Jews were captured and taken captive by the Babylonian invasion, but later, the cup of God's wrath will be poured out on Babylon. It is to keep this message of salvation in your heart and live your life looking only to Jehovah God. This is what Israel needed to be. If we lived only with the message of God's salvation in our hearts, we could live in peace even in the midst of captivity and hardship. Because we know the judgment of Babylon.
So are we today. Jesus, the temple, is the promise of our salvation. Jesus is the good news of salvation and the gospel. He is with us now, so what should we be concerned about? I came to know the Lord, my sins were forgiven, and I went to heaven, but what is lacking? But how do we live? I always feel lacking. The reason is that the heart of the Lord is not the same. Because it is not the heart of the prophet. It is because we live without putting in our hearts what Jesus considers important. Our hearts are not filled with the news of the salvation of Christ, because it is more important to live comfortably in the world than to the final judgment. This is the sleeping state. Let's not forget that we are shouting 'Wake up' towards us.
If you live with the final judgment in mind, you will be grateful for believing in the Lord just by being saved from that judgment and going to heaven. And other problems won't come to mind as important issues in life. This is waking faith.
No matter what we do, the most important thing is whether we have God's forgiveness in our hearts. Is there any thanksgiving for the blood of Christ? When you live with this in your heart, you can live with a happy heart. The most important issue for believers is the Last Judgment. We must live with God's promise to save us from judgment. Nothing could be more important than this. And the blood of the Lord who came to this earth as the reality of the promise and shed His blood must occupy our hearts. At that time, the message of salvation contained in that blood will make you rejoice. Don't forget that this is what an awake believer looks like, and once again check 'what is important to me' and live with the hope that our hearts will be governed only by the blood of Christ.