1. "Regardless of what any of us face in 2022, it is a year that we will all have to pass through in one way or another. And regardless of what we face, to what end are we passing through this year? As Christians, a new year should remind us that our goal is none other than the celestial city, heaven, where King Jesus dwells and waits for his people."

2. "Pride is theo-cide. It murders God in our hearts. It removes God from the throne of our hearts and makes the self God. Our own kingdom becomes ultimate and we forget that there is only one kingdom that will last forever."

3. "In the last analysis, the Lord will remove every crown that is not himself. Every other crown is an imposter. It will be trampled underfoot and it will be burnt up on the last day. So we must today begin going about destroying these false crowns now."

4. "We should stay on the path even if there is a stop off the path that looks inviting or enlightening or really popular as all sorts of people flock to it. No, we should stay on the path regardless of what it might look like, because off of that path are where snares and ruts, robbers and cliffs are hidden."

5. "We never graduate from the basics, so read the Bible and come and listen when it's preached. Some of the greatest heresies known to mankind from some of the most brilliant thinkers of all time have gone wrong at this very point: No one is like God."

6. "Every foundation this world has to offer is like a house of cards. In the time that it takes to breathe, the surest foundation can crumble to the ground. Your savings account can disappear. A relationship can fall apart. Your dream job can be terminated. And a life can be ended."

7. "Every promise that this world has to offer will end in death because it doesn't last beyond the grave."

8. "Jesus is a stone of salvation for those who believe in him, but he is a stone of judgment and a stumbling rock to those who don't trust in him. We can trust in Jesus and his righteousness, or we can trust in our own righteousness, which is tantamount to making a covenant with death."

9. "Friends, every trial we face will end. Every trial. However big they are, whether they come in the form of an international crisis or they come in the form of last week's hangnail, every single trial you will outlast. Why? Because they all end in death. But for those of us in Christ, we will rise victorious after death."

10. "The Christian life begins with repentance, and the Christian never stops repenting."

Observation Questions

1. In Isaiah 28:1-4, what imagery does the prophet use to describe Samaria (the "proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim"), and what does the Lord say will happen to it?

2. According to Isaiah 28:7-8, what is the spiritual condition of the priests and prophets, and how does this affect their ability to fulfill their roles?

3. In Isaiah 28:9-10, how do the priests and prophets mockingly describe God's word, and what attitude does this reveal about their view of Scripture?

4. What does the Lord promise to lay as a foundation in Zion according to Isaiah 28:16, and what is said about those who believe in it?

5. In Isaiah 28:17-19, what does God say will happen to the "covenant with death" and the "refuge of lies" that Judah's leaders have constructed?

6. According to Isaiah 28:23-29, what does the farmer's varied approach to plowing, sowing, and harvesting teach us about the source of his wisdom?

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Isaiah use the imagery of drunkenness throughout this passage to describe both Israel's and Judah's spiritual condition, and how does physical drunkenness serve as an illustration of spiritual pride?

2. The sermon described pride as "theo-cide"—murdering God in our hearts. How does the behavior of the priests and prophets in verses 7-13 demonstrate this concept, and why is their rejection of "simple" truth so dangerous?

3. Why does Isaiah call Judah's political alliance with Egypt a "covenant with death" (v. 15), and how does this connect to Moses' warnings in Deuteronomy about choosing between life and death?

4. How does the "tested stone" and "precious cornerstone" of verse 16 function as both salvation and judgment in this passage, and how does the New Testament help us understand who this cornerstone is?

5. What is the significance of the farmer illustration in verses 23-29 coming at the end of this chapter, and how does it summarize the main message Isaiah is communicating about trusting God?

Application Questions

1. The sermon asked, "What would you sin to get, and what would cause you to sin if you didn't get it?" What specific things in your life right now might be competing with God for the place of ultimate value in your heart, and what would it look like to dethrone them this week?

2. The priests and prophets mocked God's word as too simple for their sophisticated understanding. In what ways are you tempted to move beyond the "basics" of Scripture rather than continually submitting to its authority, and how can you cultivate a humble posture toward even the simplest biblical truths?

3. Judah sought security through a political alliance with Egypt rather than trusting God's promises. What "alliances" or backup plans do you tend to rely on for security instead of resting in God's promises—whether financial, relational, or professional?

4. The sermon encouraged believers to "major on the means of grace" (gathering with Christians, partaking of the Lord's Supper, daily prayer, Bible reading). Which of these basic spiritual disciplines has been weakest in your life, and what specific step can you take this week to strengthen it?

5. The farmer faithfully does his work—plowing, sowing, harvesting—while trusting God for what he cannot control. What responsibilities has God given you that require faithful, consistent effort, and how can you work diligently in those areas while simultaneously trusting God with the outcomes you cannot control?

Additional Bible Reading

1. Deuteronomy 30:11-20 — This passage presents the choice between life and death that Moses set before Israel, which Isaiah references when describing Judah's "covenant with death."

2. 1 Peter 2:4-10 — Peter explicitly identifies Jesus Christ as the cornerstone prophesied in Isaiah 28:16 and explains how believers become living stones built on this foundation.

3. Psalm 18:1-19 — David's song of deliverance celebrates the Lord as his rock and fortress, reinforcing the theme that God alone is the sure foundation for His people.

4. 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 — Paul explains how the gospel appears as foolishness to the world but is the wisdom and power of God, connecting to Isaiah's theme of those who mock simple truth.

5. Matthew 7:24-27 — Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish builders illustrates the contrast between building on the sure foundation of His words versus the unstable foundations of the world.

Sermon Main Topics

I. Looking Forward to 2022: What Are You Trusting In?

II. Historical Context of Isaiah 28

III. Seek God's Glory, Not Your Own (Isaiah 28:1-6)

IV. Obey God's Word, Not Sinful Desires (Isaiah 28:7-13)

V. Rest in God's Promises, Not Faithless Schemes (Isaiah 28:14-22)

VI. The Wisdom of the Farmer: Trust God in Every Situation (Isaiah 28:23-29)

VII. Application: Pilgrims on the Path to the Celestial City

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Detailed Sermon Outline

Well, today is January 2nd. Once again, we have turned the calendar page into a new year and people are doing what they normally do at this time of year. Many of us have made resolutions. Some of us have already broken those resolutions, even on day two. Some of us are reflecting on last year and looking forward to the year to come.

Many of us are feeling pretty good about 2022. You're ready to seize the day. Some of us are looking forward to 2022 with dread. Maybe something that happened in 2021 makes you look at 2022 and think, ah, how am I going to make it through this next year?

Each of us have personal reasons to look forward to or to not look forward to the next year. But then there's bigger things. There's events around us that condition our hopes and fears as well. From the more routine to the more extraordinary. So 2022 is an election year.

I'm sure that will affect this church. Maybe more people will be added to our congregation because of it. Maybe some of us will leave because of it. And things that happened in previous years continue to affect us as a congregation in the world at large. I think of the US leaving Afghanistan in 2021.

I know of many people among our congregation still feeling the effects of that withdrawal. And feeling it in various ways. I expect that the effects of that withdrawal will continue into 2022. And then, of course, there was a virus that reared its ugly head at the end of 2019, and we're still dealing with it today.

All of this begs the question, as we look forward to an unknown future, what are you trusting in to make it through? And what is your end goal? Regardless of what any of us face in 2022, it is a year that we will all have to pass through in one way or another? Should the Lord tarry? And regardless of what we face, to what end are we passing through this year?

What is the end goal? As Christians, a new year should remind us that our goal is none other than the celestial city, heaven, where King Jesus dwells and waits for his people. This is what we just sang about in singing nearer my God to thee. Oh, that we could be nearer to him. But how are we going to get there?

How are we going to pass through 2022? And what's going to help us stay on the path to that fair land? These questions bring us to our Bible passage today, Isaiah 28. So go ahead and turn there in your Bible. In the Pew Bible, you can find it on page 588.

And while you're turning there, I'll give some historical background on what's going on in the text.

Or, yeah, what's going on in history behind the text. And I'll also give a brief overview of Isaiah because Isaiah 28 starts a brand new section in the book. The prophet Isaiah lived in some of the most turbulent times in Israel's history. Remember, in Exodus, God saved the Hebrews from Egypt and brought them into the Promised Land. He made a covenant with them that if they obeyed them, if they obeyed his words, they would prosper.

But if they rebelled and turned their back on his words, they would be exiled from the land. Well, it didn't take long for rebellion to begin and the kingdom split. The 10 tribes to the north retained the name Israel and the two tribes to the south were called Judah. And from the very beginning, Israel had wicked kings that led them into idolatry. And even though Judah in the south had some marginally better kings at times, they soon fell into the same idolatry as Israel.

And it is in the twilight of these two kingdoms that Isaiah enters the scene as a prophet to Judah. During Isaiah's day, Assyria is the world power and lies to the north of Israel. Israel, remember the northern kingdom, experiences a period of prosperity right before Assyria destroys them at around 720 BC. Judah, on the other hand, is less prosperous. But Judah hangs around through all of Isaiah's life.

Isaiah doesn't see the end of Judah. Judah is ultimately overthrown and exiled around in the 580s BC. In our text, Israel, the northern kingdom, is on the cusp of being overthrown by Assyria. Meanwhile, little Judah is looking up at Assyria's might and wondering how they're going to survive. Because Assyria is just wrecking one nation after another, just passing through them like water.

And they can tell Israel is next. And Judah's thinking, what are we going to do? So they do the politically sensible thing. They begin warming up to Egypt, Assyria's main competitor in the region. That's the historical context.

But What does Isaiah have to say about it all? Well, in the first 11 chapters, Isaiah considers Judah's present state, which is pretty much just turmoil, and he considers their future, God and his promises. And then in the second section, chapters 12 through 27, Isaiah gives the answer to why Judah should hope in God. God is utterly sovereign over all the nations, and he will judge every single one of them. And then he finishes the section in chapters 24 through 27 by looking at how it will all end.

He goes clear to the end, and we see there God's people, those from every nation who worship God alone, will feast on the delights of his table in his kingdom. While everyone who did not obey God, who are rebellious against God, while God's enemies, they will be utterly and finally destroyed. Up to this point, Isaiah's message can be summed up as, Judah, listen, your covenant Lord is king, not Assyria, not Egypt, worship the Lord, trust in him. That's Judah's or that is Isaiah's message.

Now, after looking at the future in verses 24 and 27, Isaiah snaps us back to the present in Isaiah chapter 28. It's as if to say, okay, we've just looked at the big picture. We know what's going to happen. Now, let's see how you guys are living now in light of that big picture. And his main message to Judah is our main point for today.

It's how we're going to stay on the path to the celestial city as we pass through 2022. And the main point is this: Trust God in every situation. Trust God in every situation. But there's another question: How do we cultivate this trust in God? You don't just wake up trusting in God.

We need to cultivate that. Well, our text today has three answers. In order to cultivate trust in God, we must, number one, seek God's glory, number two, obey God's word, and number three, rest in God's promises. Again, these are the three points for today. We must seek God's glory, not our own glory.

We must obey God's word, not sinful desires, and we must rest in God's promises. Not faithless schemes.

So how do we cultivate trust in God? We must first seek God's glory. This will cover the first six verses of our text today. Let's read them now.

Ah, the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley of those overcome with wine. Behold, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong, like a storm of hail, a destroying tempest, like a storm of mighty, overflowing waters he casts down to the earth with his hand. The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden under foot, and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like a first ripe fig before summer. When someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it is in his hand. In that day, the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people, and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

So in these first six verses we read of the trampling of the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim. Now Ephraim is another name for the northern kingdom, Israel. And the proud crown would have been understood to be the Samaria, the city Samaria, the hilltop capital of Israel. We read that Samaria sets upon the head of the rich valley. Samaria is the proud crown.

Here Isaiah is saying that the city of Samaria will be destroyed and the kingdom of Israel will be overthrown.

And the state of Israel is compared to a drunken revel. There's a beautiful crown on their heads at the beginning of the night and it ends with that crown being trampled underfoot. At the beginning of the evening, all the revelers looked so beautiful and so clean, but as the evening wore on and more drink was had, they became more intoxicated. The beauty ceased. Glory turns to disgrace.

The storm comes and the crowns of the revelers are trampled in the mud. And we read that this falling and trampling is from the Lord. He sends one who will destroy Samaria, swallowing the city like a piece of small fruit.

We already know who this one is from Isaiah chapter eight. He identifies this one as Assyria. And what do we make of the drunkenness? There's just a ton of drunkenness in this passage. Well, it has a double meaning.

Here there is no doubt that Isaiah is referring to physical drunkenness and denouncing that, but he's primarily referring to spiritual drunkenness, the kind of spiritual drunkenness that comes from pride. Notice that these drunkards value their proud beautiful and glorious crown. And after all, drunkenness itself stems from pride. The one who gets drunk says things like, One more won't hurt. I'm in complete control.

Or, I've worked hard this week. I deserve to feel good.

And drunkenness often leads to selfish decisions and destructive acts.

More could be said about physical drunkenness, but Isaiah is more focused on the bigger picture, pride in all of its works. In what is pride but idolatry of self? Israel had turned from worshiping their covenant Lord and began worshiping themselves. After all, they had been prosperous. They seemed to be doing well.

But instead of glorying in the most glorious one, they gloried in themselves. And this is the effect of pride. It's like drunkenness. It deadens our spiritual senses. It makes us so that we're unable to be corrected.

We don't feel what should hurt us and cause us to take caution. We don't feel the things that do us spiritual harm. And we don't listen to other people when they come in to try to help us out. That's what spiritual drunkenness is. That's what pride does.

And in the end, we live like there is no God. One of our former pastors, Matt Merker, once said, Pride is Theo-side. Pride is Theo-side. It murders. God in our hearts.

It removes God from the throne of our hearts and makes the self God. Our own kingdom becomes ultimate and we forget that there is only one kingdom that will last forever.

That's what verses five and six are getting at. He's saying, make the Lord your joy and your crown now because he is the only joy and crown that will last forever. Furthermore, it's only when this Lord is your joy and crown that you can pursue true justice. It is only when this Lord is your joy and your crown that you will have strength to endure the trial when it comes.

So if you don't value the Lord and his glory, what is it in your heart today that you most value?

What's competing for God's place in your heart?

Or as Caleb Morrell's mom once said, what would you sin to get? And what would cause you to sin if you didn't get it? In the last analysis, the Lord will remove every crown that is not himself. Every other crown is an imposter. It will be trampled underfoot and it will be burnt up on the last day.

So we must today begin going about destroying these false crowns now. We must combat our pride. Which begs the question, how do we begin to do that? Where is the best place to begin combating our pride? And that leads us to our second point.

We must obey God's word. We must obey God's word, not sinful desires. And we read this in verses 7 through 13. Follow along with me as I read.

These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink, the priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, they are swallowed by wine, they stagger with strong drink, they reel in vision, they stumble in giving judgment, for all tables are full of filthy vomit. With no space left. To whom will he teach knowledge and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast? For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.

For by a people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the Lord will speak to these people, to whom he has said, this is rest, give rest to the weary. And this is repose, yet they would not hear. And the word of the Lord will be to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little, that they may go and fall backward and be broken and snared and taken.

Here we read just how far the spiritual rot goes. The priest and the prophet. Those who were tasked to deliver and apply the message of God to the people of Israel are drunk as well. In verse 8 we have that graphic picture of the end of all their revelry, utter degradation. They have traded feasting at the table with the Lord for tables full of filthy vomit.

And look right in the middle at verse 7 there. It says that they are swallowed by wine. The thing that they consume so much of ultimately consumes them. They have become enslaved to their own hype. They are unable to function.

It says that they reel in vision. They stumble in giving judgment. The stewards of God's revelation to the people have been incapacitated.

Then in their pride, the priests and the prophets mock the word of God as being fit only for little children in verses 9 and 10. This is emphasized by repeated phrases, precept upon precept and line upon line. The underlying Hebrew resembles actual Hebrew words, but it's more likely they're imitating the simple sounds that parents make to their children. In Hebrew, it sounds like tzav la tzav, tzav la tzav, kav la kav, kav la kav. Nonsense.

Too simple. The point is this: They are saying that they are too advanced to be corrected by something so simple. We have attained a higher understanding and a more enlightened way of life. And coming from the guys filling up tables with barf, the irony is just. Staggering and sad.

The Lord then responds in verses 11 through 13 by saying, Guess what? Since you guys have rejected this simple, understandable word that I have labored so hard to give you, you guys will now be hearing my words, but not through a language that you can understand. You will be taught not by words that you can understand, but you will be taught by the whips of the Assyrian taskmasters when they come. And take you.

The message of these verses is clear. Obey God's word and obey all of it. Verse 12 says that true rest and true peace comes from trusting in and following the word of the Lord. Or you could think of obeying God's word as a path. We should pay attention to the path and get to know its boundaries well.

We should stay on that path even if it seems to be leading us to uncomfortable and dangerous places, because that path is trustworthy. We should stay on the path even if there is a stop off the path that looks inviting or enlightening or really popular as all sorts of people flock to it. No, we should stay on the path regardless of what it might look like, because off of that path are where snares and ruts robers and cliffs are hidden as we read in verse 13.

We should never stop rehearsing the basic truths of Scripture, CHBC. We never graduate from the basics, so read the Bible and come and listen when it's preached. And this is a great reason to sign up for Child Care and Praise Factory, not because we need volunteers for Child Care and Praise Factory, though there is that too. You should sign up for Childcare and Praise Factory because it is there where the very basics of the Christian faith are rehearsed week in and week out. And even if you're an adult, you can learn.

I'll never forget working in the two-year-old room years ago, and for a straight month, the big question of the month was, can anybody tell me what the Lord is like? And the answer, was, He's not like anyone else. And then we sang the song, oh, oh, Lord, there is no, no God like you. Oh, oh, Lord, there is no God like you. 1 Kings 8:23.

And I'm betting that some of you guys know that song too. What's the point? Well, the point is, for a straight month, I had that burnt and seared into my brain. And you know what? I am never gonna forget that there is no one like God.

And we laugh, it's such a simple truth that even two-year-olds can begin to understand, but friends, this is where everyone begins to go wrong on God. Christians and non-Christians alike begin to think that they're the ones that define God, and they redefine God in an image that looks more like man. Christians and non-Christians. Friends, some of the greatest heresies known to mankind from some of the most brilliant thinkers of all time have gone wrong at this very point. No one is like God.

And there is wrong teaching today that still exists because at this very point we've missed. No one is like God. Volunteer for childcare and learn what God is like. Before I move on from this point, I would like to say a word to my fellow elders. Notice that the worst descriptions of drunkenness talked about in these first 13 verses.

And notice that most of this chapter is aimed at the leaders and spiritual leaders of the people of Israel.

Isaiah would seem to indicate that the priests and the prophets are the fount of this drunkenness. Brothers, never cease to submit yourselves to God's word in humility. In Capitol Hill Baptist Church, pray that the leaders of this church would ignore the siren calls of the world that would take us off the path. Pray that your leaders would rely on Scripture.

And you yourself work hard to rely on Scripture.

So, we must obey God's Word. But when obedience to God's Word gets hard, what's the motivation that keeps us going? What's the motivation that keeps us on the path even if it looks dark and stormy? This leads us to point number three: rest in God's promises. Rest in God's promises, not the faithless schemes of the world.

We see this in verses 14 through 22.

Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem. Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with Sheol we have made an agreement, when the overwhelming scourge passes through, it will not come to us, for we have made lies our refuge, and in falsehood we have taken shelter. Therefore, thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation. Whoever believes will not be in haste. And I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line, and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overwhelm the shelter.

Then your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand. When the overwhelming scourge passes through, you will not be beaten down by it. As often as it passes through, it will take you; for morning by morning it will pass through, by day and by night; and it will be sheer terror to understand the message. For the bed is too short to stretch oneself out on, and the covering too narrow to wrap oneself in. For the Lord will rise up as on Mount Perazim, as in the valley of Gibeon, to do His deed—strange is His deed—and to work His work—alien is His work.

Now, therefore, do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong. For I have heard a decree of destruction from the Lord of hosts—Lord God of hosts—against the whole land.

Now Isaiah has moved from the northern kingdom to explicitly calling out the southern kingdom, Judah. The reference to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, makes this clear. And in these verses, the rulers of Jerusalem are being accused of being scoffers. Why? Well, Judah is looking to the coming judgment of their northern brother, and rather than trusting in the Lord, they have decided to do away with his promises.

Hedge their bets, and begin making an alliance with Egypt. Isaiah mentions this alliance in chapter 30, and this alliance is what the covenant with death refers to in verse 15. And it is before this covenant of death that judgment is coming in verses 17 through 2022, which begs the question: Why would a simple political alliance be characterized by a covenant with death?

And the reason is that Isaiah is pointing out that Israel has, or Judah and Israel, both of them, have failed in one of their most basic and most important tasks that was given to them, remembering.

Let me just take a step back right now.

And we'll look at the book of Deuteronomy. Don't turn there. We don't have enough time to read all the passages. But in order to understand why he would call this a covenant with death, we need to understand a little bit about the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is Moses' final message to the Hebrews just before they enter the Promised Land, and he's giving them final instructions.

And in the book, one of Moses' constant refrains is take care lest ye forget. And then in chapter 8, he warns them that if they forget, he will judge them like the rest of the nations. In chapter 28, Moses says that if they forget, the Lord will bring upon them again all the diseases of Egypt. And later that they will ultimately, if they forget, offer themselves up as slaves to Egypt, the same nation that once enslaved them.

And then finally, at the end in chapter 30, Moses says, I set before you today life and death. Choose life, that you may live long in the land. If you want to read many of these passages, you can find it in chapter 5 through 11 of Deuteronomy and then chapters 28 through 32.

So what is Isaiah saying to Judah here?

He is telling Judah that they have chosen death. And he's telling them that something of an anti-exodus will happen if they continue to scoff. Isaiah is telling Judah that their pursuit of an alliance with Egypt shows that they have forgotten these warnings and they're no longer resting in the Lord who was so miraculously faithful to them throughout the ages.

Notice the hail and the water in this passage sounds a lot like the plagues of Egypt. And then look at the overwhelming whip and the overwhelming scourge that passes in verses 15, 18, and 19. What will it do? It will pass through. Judah will not escape the judgment of God as they did when it passed over them in Egypt.

No, it will pass through, and it will pass through again and again. And again, by day and by night, it will pass through. There will be no escaping this judgment. If they continue on this path, the Lord will continue to judge, will judge them just like he did the rest of the nations. He will reverse his saving acts on their behalf.

And this is what the reference to parizim and Gibeon are in verse 21. They're places where the Lord miraculously defeated Israel's enemies, and now he would become their enemy.

So friends, what does this matter for us? Well, we see here that Judah is trusting in someone other than the Lord. What promises are you looking to for safety and security today? Maybe you think if I just get that job then I can rest. Or if you're young in this city, One day, I'll own a house, and then I'll have it made.

Or maybe you're thinking, if I can just make it to retirement, then I'll rest. Fill in the blank: I will rest easy once blank.

What would you put there?

What if that thing never comes? Or maybe it will come. Or maybe you're sitting there and you have that thing now. What then?

Every foundation this world has to offer is like a house of cards. In the time that it takes to breathe, the surest foundation can crumble to the ground. Your savings account can disappear. A relationship can fall apart. Your dream job can be terminated.

In a life can be ended. Every promise that this world has to offer will end in death because it doesn't last beyond the grave.

So that leaves us with another question: what can be hoped in? Who can provide the peace and security that we need? Our test has that answer in verse 16. Look there again.

Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone of a sure foundation; whoever believes will not be in haste. The Lord says here that there is a foundation they can rest on. They don't have to go to Egypt. They don't have to be afraid of Assyria. They do not need to scramble for sure footing or for cover because they can trust in this stone.

That's what the meaning of the word is in haste is. They don't need to scramble. This stone is none other than the Lord and his promises. The entire Old Testament refers to God as being the rock. So Deuteronomy 32:4 says, the rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice, a God of faithfulness and without iniquity.

Or Hannah prays in 1 Samuel 2: There is none holy like the Lord, for there is none besides you. There is no rock like our God. And then when the Lord delivers David, David prays in Psalm 18, I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. My stronghold.

The Lord was ever the rock that God's people stood upon. He was ever the sure foundation for Israel. He was always going to be the shelter in which they hid. But here in Isaiah, there seems to be something new happening. There's building happening and it seems to be pointing to a new phase of salvation.

And we learn in the New Testament what this cornerstone is. It is none other than Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. God's people would no longer hope in a land, but they would hope in a person who lives in a different land, who lives in Immanuel's land. Peter, Paul multiple times and Jesus himself all confirm that this cornerstone is Jesus Christ. If you want to think more about this, read 1 Peter 2 later today.

In Christ we have a sure foundation, one that will never be shaken because he died and yet he lives. He did no bargaining with death. He made no covenants with death. He alone holds the keys to death and Shale. And by hoping in him we have a sure hope.

He rose victorious over death, never to die again. And those of us who are in him will rise victorious with him. Friends, every trial we face will end. Every trial. However big they are, whether they come in the form of an international crisis like we read here in Isaiah 28 or they come in the form of last week's hangnail, every single trial you will outlast.

Why? Because they all end in death. But for those of us in Christ, we will rise victorious after death. For those of you who don't understand yourselves to be Christians here today, thank you for being here. This is the gospel that Christians are always talking about.

This is what we get excited about, that God, the King of the Universe, made everything and he made everything good. He was a good and loving God and we had no reason to rebel against him, but we did anyways. We followed our own path. We gloried in our own works. We disobeyed his words.

We didn't trust him. And because of this, we deserve the punishment of God. We deserve that overwhelming whip and scourge to pass through again and again and again. But God, being rich in mercy and love, sent his son, Jesus Christ, who staggered and reeled as he swallowed the entire cup of God's wrath on our behalf. He took the overwhelming whip and the overwhelming scourge on our behalf.

Whoever would repent of their sins and trust in this one Jesus, this cornerstone, this sure foundation.

All of those who trust in Jesus will have victory over death. Death does not have the final word for us because it doesn't have the final word over him. And Jesus is coming back one day to take all of those who trust in him to be with him. But as you read on, there's more to this verse. It says in verse 17 that in laying this cornerstone, justice and righteousness will sweep away the refuge of lies.

Jesus is a stone of salvation for those who believe in him, but he is a stone of judgment and a stumbling rock to those who don't trust in him. And here Isaiah is laying before us two paths. We can trust in Jesus and his righteousness. We can repent of our sins and trust in him, or we can trust in our own righteousness. Which is tantamount to making a covenant with death.

And the stone that could be a means of salvation for you becomes a means of judgment. Repent today. Trust in Him.

Kids, let me speak to you for a moment. Kids, let me ask you the question. Do you ever get a little bit of joy and delight when your brother or sister gets in trouble for something they did. And maybe, maybe you get a little bit more when you know that you might have been guilty too.

I can remember my siblings and I almost made an art out of getting each other in trouble. My little brother, when I was a kid, mastered his distress cry. And when we were out of the view of my mom, Austin would get this devious look on his face and he would go, John, quit it. And mom would yell from downstairs and he would be laughing and I'd go downstairs. And unless you think that I'm just picking on him, the reason that he had mastered his distress cry is because I had picked on him so much.

So older kids, this is not, you don't get out of this either. It didn't take long for mom to catch on, and it was a joke after all. But sometimes we do this and it isn't a joke. Sometimes we actually get excited when our brother or sister get punished.

Kids, our parents teach us what God is like in many things that they do, but our parents are not like God in this. They can't see everything.

And where there is so much deception to sort through, parents may not hand out perfect justice. But God can see everything and his justice is perfect. God knows when you lie and he will hold you to account. The punishment of another should not lead us to simply joy, but should lead us to a serious respect not only of our parents, but of the God of our parents. Anytime we hear of someone being disciplined for sin, whether it's worldly discipline like that of a parent, or whether it's divine discipline like we read here in Isaiah 28, we should examine our lives.

The Christian life begins with repentance, and the Christian never stops repenting.

So friends, what's going to get you through the year 2022. We don't know what the new year will bring, but this text teaches us that regardless of what comes our way, we should trust God by seeking his glory, by obeying his word and resting in his promises. His promises are the only sure foundation. They're the only sure guide, and his glory is the only we're the end. And those are my three points, but Isaiah has more for us today.

Isaiah says, Look to the farmer. The obvious choice, look to the farmer. In this final section, Isaiah completely shifts gears, and it's kind of like a board game of risk. Isaiah and Judah or sorry, Israel and Judah are playing risk, and Isaiah comes in and like right in the heat of the game and flips over the board and goes, Stop that. Let's go outside and look at the farmer.

And see what we can learn from him. So let's learn from the farmer with Isaiah. Follow along with me as I read verses 23 through 29.

Give ear and hear my voice, give attention and hear my speech. Does he who plows for sowing plow continually? Does he continually open and harrow his ground? When he has leveled his surface, does he not scatter dill, sow cumin, and put wheat and barley in its proper place and emmer as the border? For he is rightly instructed, as God teaches him.

Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over cumin. But dill is beaten out with a stick, and cumin with a rod. Does one crush grain for bread? No. He does not crush it forever.

When he drives his cartwheel over it with his horses, he does not crush it. This also comes from the Lord of hosts. He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.

Here we read of a farmer who is plowing, harrowing, and sowing in verses 24 and 25, and then in verses 27 and 28, he moves on to the harvest time, harvesting and crushing. And the point here is that different crops require different care. Apple trees aren't harvested with a corn picker and you don't plow under grape vines after you've picked the grapes. Each crop has its own seasonal rhythm. Each action has a purpose.

And how does the farmer know this purpose? Verse 26, he is rightly instructed. It is God who teaches him. And in verse 29, this also comes from the Lord of hosts. He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.

This section doesn't get its own point because it's the main point that Isaiah is trying to make in all of this. It's what Isaiah is driving at. It is that we should trust God in every situation. The farmer in this passage provides a contrast to the cities of Samaria and Jerusalem, Israel and Judah. Like Judah with Assyria in Egypt, the farmer can't control the wind or the rain.

Or the son, but the farmer has specific tasks that the Lord has given him. He gives attention to those basics and he trusts that the Lord's wisdom is correct and that providence will provide. He does not try to play God by making it rain. No, that's the Lord's job. That's what Judah must do, and that's what we must do.

How can we apply this wisdom of the farmer? Well, let me add on to Kevin's resolutions and give you a couple of suggestions. First, even though it's January 2nd, it's not too late to make a resolution. If you're looking for one, here it is. Just like the farmer just gave himself to the mastering the basics, give yourself to mastering the basics.

Resolve to major on the means of grace. Resolve to major on the means of grace. What do I mean by means of grace? Well, I mean the basics. Resolve to gather with Christians every Sunday this year.

Even when you're on vacation. Resolve to never miss a Lord's table like we're about to do now. Resolve to pray each day and pray more. Resolve to power through that Bible reading plan when you get to those lists of names and numbers.

Resolve to focus on that one area of the church covenant where you feel like you might have lacked in 2021.

Major in the means of grace. But then I have a second one: don't grow weary in sowing the gospel. Don't grow weary in sowing the gospel.

Our God, who Isaiah says is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom has given us a task of sowing seeds of the gospel, of giving ourselves to evangelism. Paul says in first Corinthians that it is folly to those who are perishing.

For it is for us to be faithful with the gospel and sharing it with those who might even ridicule and despise us and mock us like the priest did in verse nine. It is the wisdom of God that we preach, and it is wisdom to continue in this task even though it seems like you're in a time of drought or maybe you're in a time of plenty. Praise God for that time of plenty and know that the drought may come but continue to share the gospel.

We've looked at the farmer but there's another actor in this passage, the Lord himself. He instructs the farmer. He's the one who gives purpose to the farmer, and he himself has his own purposes. The same Lord who is sovereign over the farmer and over international politics is the same Lord who is sovereign over you and over me. None of us know what 2022 has in store, but the Lord does, and he is bringing about his purposes in our lives.

One of the things that I like to do at this time of year is read the book Pilgrim's Progress. And for those of you who don't know, Pilgrim's Progress was written by John Bunyan. In allegory, he envisions the Christian life as a journey from the city of destruction to the celestial city, heaven. Christian, the main character, must journey through many different seasons of trial and refreshment during his life. So he starts out on the path and quickly finds himself in the slough of despond.

And then he stops by the arbor for weary travelers. He makes it to the delectable mountains and he has to power through the valley of the shadow of death. Christian also meets friends along the way, like faithful and hopeful, and they help him as he walks to the celestial city. I like reading Pilgrim's Progress during this season because it reminds me of where I've been and it reminds me of where I'm headed to the celestial city. It reminds me that whatever may come, I must stick to the path.

God has laid it out clearly in His word. And if I find myself off that path, I could end up in the dungeon of giant despair. But, If I do find myself in that dark place, the Lord has given me a key that he gives to all of his pilgrim, his promise, and his promise is the key that can unlock the darkness and lead us back to the path. Fellow pilgrims, when you look at 2022, what do you see on the horizon? Do you see the peaks of the delectable mountains or do you see the storm clouds?

Of the valley, of the shadow of death.

Our Lord will be with you, whether it's the delectable mountains or that valley, and His purposes are sure. You can trust that our Lord will carry you through.

And are you feeling like Mr. Faint Heart today? Look around you. There are many Christians and Christianas. There are many hopefuls and faithfuls.

There are many mercies and great hearts that have all promised to walk with you to the celestial city because that's where we're all headed. And even though we may have different paths, we're all going to get there by the Lord's grace.

And in the celestial city, when we get there, the Lord has already prepared a table. A table full of his delights that we will feast on for eternity. How fitting it is then that we get to begin the year on this path with a signpost of God's mercy, a foretaste of that table and the Lord's Supper. Let's pray.

Dear Heavenly Father, you are good. And you do good. We pray that you would help us to trust you regardless of what this year may bring. Help us to remember your promises. Help us to know and obey your word.

Help us to seek your glory above all else. Lord, we pray that you would sustain us all until we stand around your throne in heaven. In Jesus name, Amen.