Date: 21 November 2008
Speaker: Kong Hee
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)
Christ in Culture. How do we as Christians react to the culture of the world?
Isaiah 60:6
The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba shall come;
They shall bring gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
Isaiah 60:9
Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
To the name of the Lord your God,
And to the Holy One of Israel,
Because He has glorified you.
Isaiah 60:13-14
“ The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make the place of My feet glorious.
Also the sons of those who afflicted you
Shall come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet;
And they shall call you The City of the Lord,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 60:19
“ The sun shall no longer be your light by day,
Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you;
But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light,
And your God your glory.
Isaiah 60:22
A little one shall become a thousand,
And a small one a strong nation.
I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”
Hebrews 11:10
for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
Hebrews 11:13-14
These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland.
Hebrews 11:16
But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Heaven is a holy city. Isaiah 60 calls it a holy city, a centre of commerce. Revelations 21 calls it the new Jerusalem.
Camels, ships and wood are not jut symbols of worldly power and wealth, but they are also signs of pagan worship.
Isaiah 2:12-16
For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—
Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,
And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
Upon all the high mountains,
And upon all the hills that are lifted up;
Upon every high tower,
And upon every fortified wall;
Upon all the ships of Tarshish,
And upon all the beautiful sloops.
God is going to judge the camels and ships and wood. When He judges, it is meant to build up, it is going to be a fire of purification. Judgement is not meant to destroy but to purify and to redeem.
Isaiah 10:34
He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron,
And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.
Isaiah 60:6-7
The multitude of camels shall cover your land,
The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba shall come;
They shall bring gold and incense,
And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you,
The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you;
They shall ascend with acceptance on My altar,
And I will glorify the house of My glory.
Isaiah 60:9
Surely the coastlands shall wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
To the name of the Lord your God,
And to the Holy One of Israel,
Because He has glorified you.
Isaiah 60:13
“ The glory of Lebanon shall come to you,
The cypress, the pine, and the box tree together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I will make the place of My feet glorious.
The camels, ships and wood will be brought into the Holy City before the Lord, for His glory, to beautify the House of God.
Our God is not a destroyer, He is a redeemer. His desire is to bring about conversion and redemption.
Revelation 21:2
Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 21:5
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
Revelation 21:24
And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.
Revelation 21:26
And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.
God is in the business of making all things new. Renewal, redemption, restoration.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
The way we seek should not be one of passively waiting for heaven to return, but to actively seek, going beyond the four walls of the Church to redeem the world.
Matthew 23:11-12
But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Isaiah 58:10
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
How do you shine your light? Serve the wounded.
Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
Revelation 21:23-25
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
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